The prime minister said this was among the decisions adopted at his meeting with Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin today following a working visit to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Sungai Golok.

Anwar said both countries have also decided to accelerate the development and dredging of the Golok river estuary, which will help address flood issues affecting southern Thailand and Kelantan.

“When personal relations are good and relations between the two governments are strong, the benefits will reach the people,” he said in a brief speech at the Pasir Mas land and district office.

Anwar added that Malaysia-Thailand ties would significantly improve under Srettha’s leadership.

He said Malaysia appreciated Srettha’s commitment to do whatever it took to achieve a peaceful resolution in conflict-stricken Thailand’s south and to focus on economic development in the region and Kelantan.

“Thank you to the prime minister of Thailand. Previously, we met in Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam. There has been progress since then and this is an important sign towards cooperation and achieving peace and development,” he said.

Meanwhile, Srettha in his speech said that the region on both sides of the border is blessed with natural resources and friendships between the peoples of the two countries.

He noted that many issues were discussed today, such as the Sungai Golok bridge, which will facilitate economic development for Malaysia and Thailand.

“We discussed about a special economic zone that we will be working together on. The foreign ministers will meet next week to discuss the next steps that we hope will be taken to develop the halal food business and rubber plantations.

“These are key areas we are looking at,” he said.