Phuket officials and Russian diplomats discussed the prospects of furthering relations to mark the 125th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Russia in July 2022.
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Thailand, Evgeny Tomikhin, on Monday paid a courtesy call on Phuket vice governor Pichet Panapong, who was acting on behalf of Phuket governor Narong Woonciew.
Mr Tomikhin and company, including Russian Consul General to Phuket Vladimir V Sosnov, attended a meeting with Phuket officials to discuss several matters.
The Russian dignitaries expressed their wish to establish broader relations between Phuket and Kamchatka, situated in the Russian Far East.
A memorandum of understanding between them is being reviewed by the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Interior Ministry.
Phuket plans to sign the memorandum with Kamchatka soon.
According to a source, the meeting discussed a plan to set up a Thai boxing training camp in Phuket, but no details were provided.
The Russian ambassador also confirmed Russia’s willingness to negotiate with Ukraine even though he claimed that it was the failure of earlier talks that led to the escalating situation.
During the meeting, Mr Tomikhin talked about the number of Russian tourists, believed to be 8,000, currently spending their holiday in this island province.
Bhummikitti Raktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, confirmed that Russian tourists still make up the majority of foreign arrivals since the roll out of the government's Phuket Sandbox scheme.
The cumulative number of foreign tourists to Phuket has now reached almost 50,000 since the scheme began, and bookings are still holding up despite the escalating tension, Mr Bhummikitti said.
