On 26-29 May 2012, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Commonwealth of Australia as guest of the Australian Government. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Commerce Minister, Education Minister, Industry Minister as well as a group of prominent Thai businessmen.
The purpose of the visit is to reassure all stakeholders of Thailand’s political stability and economic growth, as well as enhance Thai-Australia strategic partnership across a full range of bilateral and regional issues (trade and investment, energy security, food security, exchanges in science and technology, to name a few). Furthermore, the Prime Minister will meet with the Thai community in Sydney, in particular to listen to the views and problems faced by Thai businesses in the food industry. This is to foster the government’s policy of “Thai Kitchen to the World”.
Most importantly, during the said visit, Prime Minister Yingluck will meet with Ms. Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia, as well as concerned Ministers to follow-up on the development of Thai-Australian relations. Both Prime Ministers will discuss cooperation in regional and international frameworks, particularly in ASEAN and East Asia Summit (EAS). Moreover, both Prime Ministers would witness the signing of the Joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Education and Training and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Young Political Leaders’ Exchange Program which will further strengthen the ties between the two peoples.
In addition, Thai business figures from PTTEP, Baan Pu, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating, Loxley, Mitr Phol, CP Group, Surapon Foods, CENTRAL Group, as well as the Federation of Thai Industries and the Board of Trade of Thailand will be meeting their Australian counterparts. The Prime Minister will also meet with corporate leaders from major Australian industries including Bluescope Steel, Kingsgate (Mining), Australia-New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) and leading companies in auto-parts industry.
Indeed, the visit to Australia of Prime Minister Yingluck symbolizes the strengthening of relations at the leader’s level. The last visit to Australia by a Thai Prime Minister was in 2005 to sign the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA).
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