Government House, The Prime Minister discussed with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic religion of Egypt, emphasizing close relations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and strengthening cooperation in education and international cooperation.Mr. Sathit Thaveesin, Prime Minister, met with Professor Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, Supreme Islamic Leader of the Arab Republic of Egypt, on the occasion of his visit to Thailand as a guest of the government.The Prime Minister was pleased to meet with the Supreme Islamic Leader of Egypt on the occasion of his visit to Thailand as a guest of the Government and on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Egypt this year. He believed that this visit to Thailand would help strengthen the relationship between the two countries even further.The Supreme Leader of Egypt expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Thai people for the warm welcome they received during their visit to Thailand. He was pleased that all sectors of Thailand had driven closer bilateral relations between Egypt and Thailand. He also hoped that Thailand and Egypt would jointly organize various activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and strengthen cooperation to cover more dimensions.On this occasion, both sides also discussed cooperation in various fields, such as education, religion, and culture. The Prime Minister thanked Egypt and Al-Azhar University for continuously providing scholarships to Thai students and also expanding scholarships to general subjects, which will allow Thai students to bring back their knowledge to develop the country. The Supreme Leader of Islam in Egypt said that there are currently approximately 3,000 Thai students studying at the university, of which 612 are scholarship recipients from Thailand. Egypt has also provided special scholarships to Thailand, totaling 160 scholarships per year, divided into 80 scholarships for religious studies and Islamic studies, and another 80 scholarships for students in science, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy. It has also sent a group of teachers from Egypt, currently numbering approximately 18, to support the teaching of Arabic and religion in Islamic schools in Thailand.In addition, Thailand and Egypt are pleased that both parties are in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of an Arabic language center with the university to prepare Arabic language skills for Thai students who go to study in Egypt. Thailand recognizes the importance of communicating in Arabic because Thailand is one of the medical tourism destinations for tourists from the Middle East. Egypt is ready to cooperate with Thailand in opening an Arabic language development center, which it believes will be a beneficial project for Thai students.In terms of international cooperation, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Religion of Egypt praised the role of the Prime Minister and Thailan d in the international arena and exchanged views on the conflicts in the Middle East, in which both sides agreed to seek a joint solution for sustainable security and peace. The Prime Minister emphasized that Thailand is neutral and supports the two-state solution, and called on all parties to make efforts to find a sustainable and peaceful solution. He thanked Egypt for helping mediate the negotiations to release the Thai hostages and asked for continued support from the Egyptian side in the negotiations to help the remaining Thai hostages.In addition, the government has considered donating 100,000 US dollars to the Egyptian Red Crescent to support humanitarian assistance efforts for the Palestinian people, which will be delivered through the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo. Egypt expressed its gratitude to the Thai government and people for donating the money and agreed with the Prime Minister to resolve the problem and is ready to cooperate with the Thai government to lead to a peaceful and sustainable solut ion.Source: Thai News Agency