Bangkok--8 Mar--NACC
On 4 March 2019 NACC President Police General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit welcomed His Excellency Mr. Evgeny Tomikhin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Thailand to the Office of NACC on the occasion of His Excellency's recent appointment to the new diplomatic post in Thailand.
The Russian Ambassador was accompanied by Minister-Counsellor Mr. Vladimir Marchukov and Mr. Alexey Salnikov, Second Secretary. NACC Secretary-General Mr. Warawit Sukboon, Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Thammanoon Ruengdit and Director of the Bureau of International Affairs and Corruption Investigation Mr. Nitiphan Prachuabmoh were present in receiving the Russian delegation.
In his welcoming remarks, President Watcharapol congratulated His Excellency on his tenure and expressed appreciation to the Russian Embassy in Bangkok for the dedicated efforts in coordinating for the NACC delegation's official visit to Moscow last April to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Office on Corruption Prevention of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation (OCPA).
The Russian Ambassador and the NACC President then discussed the long-standing and fruitful relations between Russia and Thailand which enjoy increasing trade volume in recent years. His Excellency pointed out that Thailand has remained one of the most popular destinations among Russian tourists, with 1.5 million Russians travelling to Thailand last year. However, the Embassy also receives complaint letters from Russian tourists and Russian residents in the Kingdom about their difficulties in dealing with Thai authorities such as immigration and police officers. Information on this context and recommendations from the NACC will help the Embassy to better understand the situation and challenges in which Russians in Thailand are encountering.
In this connection, both sides expressed the readiness to step up cooperation in the anti-corruption domain, and came to agreement that the prospective visit of the Russian delegation from anti-corruption agencies, tentatively scheduled in early June this year, would not only serve to strengthen the interagency relations but also provide a perfect opportunity for the exchange of experience in implementing measures for the prevention and suppression of corruption.