During Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin's visit to Thailand he met with his counterpart Don Pramudwinai, the two officials signed a trade pact and a legal assistance agreement, Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry has reported.

During the meeting, the sides expressed interest in activating bilateral ties and exchanged views on a wide variety of international and regional issues.

"The sides agreed upon a schedule for political contacts in the near turn and agreed to conduct a second round of political consultations on the level of deputy foreign ministers, as well as to hold a meeting of an intergovernmental joint commission for bilateral cooperation," the FM's press release said.

During the talks the sides agreed to deepen cooperation within the framework of international organizations as well as long-term cooperation, first and foremost, in trade and economic bilateral relations.

Following the talks the sides signed an agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Thailand on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases and a trade agreement. The agreements will significantly facilitate bilateral contacts between law-enforcement agencies and business between the countries.

"Implementation of corresponding measures of intergovernmental agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases will significantly improve the level of coordination between law-enforcement agencies in the investigation of criminal offenses committed in Thailand and Ukraine," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

The trade agreement with Thailand, which is Ukraine's main trading partner in southeastern Asia, opens additional possibilities for mutually beneficial, pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in the economic and investment sectors of both countries. Trade turnover between Ukraine and Thailand in 2016 totaled $600 million, with a positive balance of $255 million in Ukraine's favor.

Aimed at developing contacts between businessmen, the creation of joint enterprises and representative commercial offices in both countries, the intergovernmental trade agreement provides for the launch of a joint commission on trade issues chaired by Ukraine's Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Thailand's Commerce Minister. The commission will study opportunities for broadening and diversifying bilateral trade and economic relations.