On 2 February 2012, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow over the Opening Ceremony of the 60th Anniversary of Thai-Australian Diplomatic Relations at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Present were Australian Ambassador James Wise, as well as those involved in promoting Thai-Australian relations, be they from the public and private sectors, diplomatic corps, academic circle, as well as the general public at large.
On this occasion, the Permanent Secretary congratulated the two countries for their 60 years of friendship and ties. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Australia in 1952, relations have been all-rounded, especially (1) trade volume between the both countries had tripled in the last three years as a result of the implementation of the Thailand and Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) and (2) people-to-people contacts have flourished with more than 700,000 Australians visiting Thailand annually, while Australia is a leading destination for Thai students. The Permanent Secretary further expressed his confidence that with the firm and longstanding foundation between Thailand and Australia, the strengthening and deepening of cooperation between the two countries, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels, will contribute to a stronger and more dynamic region.
In this regard, activities at the ceremony included (1) video-recorded messages from the Australian alumni and renowned persons who have helped promote Thai-Australian relations (2) list of planned activities to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Thai-Australian diplomatic relations in 2012 (3) exhibition on Thai-Australian relations and 4) musical performances from “The Idea of North” group of Australia and the “A Capella 7” group of Thailand. To note, the above-mentioned activities all helped promote and strengthen the Thai-Australian relations, displayed the longstanding and goodwill relations between the two countries, both from past to the present, and into the future, as well as the showcased the various areas of cooperation between Thailand and Australia in the political, security, economic, social, cultural, scientific, technological and innovative spheres at the governmental, private and people-to-people level.
Click here for the full text of the Opening Remarks by Pernanent Secretary
http://www.mfa.go.th/internet/information/28670i2.pdf
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