On 2 December 2011, Mr. Ignacio Sagaz Temprano, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul.
In this regard, Foreign Minister Surapong extended appreciation to His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of the Kingdom of Spain for the condolence message on the flood situation in Thailand. The Spanish Ambassador stated that King Juan Carlos of Spain, together with members of the Spanish Royal Family, the Government and people of Spain, all expressed their concern for Thailand and the Thai people. Spain is willing to assist Thailand, especially in flood prevention via laser technology and satellite imaging, water management, cleaning and trash recycling in the industrial estates affected by the flood. Foreign Minister Surapong took the opportunity to thank Spain for the kind assistance and said that next year, Thailand plans to invite water experts from various countries to consult and propose projects on flood prevention. In this regard, Foreign Minister Surapong extended the invitation to Spanish experts, and at same time, said that the Foreign Ministry would help coordinate and work closely with all related agencies to push forward the said projects.
Moreover, Foreign Minister then congratulated both Thailand and Spain for the smooth and dynamic relations, in particular the signing of the 2010-2015 Joint Plan of Action between Thailand and Spain in 2010 which is a mechanism that covers a broad spectrum of cooperation. At the same time, he also congratulated Mr. Mariano Rajoy Brey, the new Spanish Prime Minister, for winning the last election and expressed confidence that Spain would be able to recover from the current economic crisis and be back on track with economic growth. Foreign Minister Surapong also expressed Thailand’s readiness to work closely with the new Spanish government.
On this occasion, the Spanish Ambassador took the opportunity to inform Foreign Minister Surapong of opportunities and channels for expansion of Thai-Spanish bilateral relations, as follows:
Political cooperation — The Spanish Ambassador agreed with Foreign Minister Surapong that there should be more exchange of high level visits and proposed that Thailand and Spain cooperate in the areas of prevention of terrorism and organized crimes, as well as immigration control, which Spain is expert and has technologies.
Economic cooperation — There is room for expansion of cooperation in this field, in particular cooperation in renewable energy and infrastructure (high velocity train) which Spain specializes in.
Recently, Spain won the bid to build the high velocity train from Medina to Mecca in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, which Foreign Minister Surapong viewed that the Spanish expertise in this field would be beneficial to Thailand and coincided with the Thai Government’s policy in building railway routes from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Bangkok to Rayong and Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the future. It would also assist the region with the North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC) and East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) projects.
Tourism cooperation — Each year, approximately 50,000 Thai tourists visit Spain, while around 60,000 Spanish tourists visit Thailand. Most Spanish tourists come to Thailand for honeymoon. In this regard, Foreign Minister Surapong thanked Spain for adjusting her travel advisory to reflect the reality of the current situation in Thailand.
Education cooperation —There is a plan to establish the Spanish language institute (Instituto de Cervantes) in Thailand, which Foreign Minister Surapong agreed and was of the view that a student exchange program between both countries be established as well. In this regard, the Spanish Ambassador took the opportunity to introduce the Spanish diplomacy institute and welcomes young, Thai diplomats to enroll there.
Military cooperation — The cooperation in the military area is progressing well. So far, there are about 50 military officers from Thai Armed Forces who had studied in Spain. Presently, 13 military officers are also studying there.
Furthermore, the Spanish Ambassador extended the invitation to Foreign Minister Surapong to visit Spain after the establishment of the new Spanish cabinet, which Foreign Minister Surapong accepted and admired relations between Thailand and Spain, who are not only friends, but also partners.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th