Remarks by Her Excellency Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
at the Luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Julia Gillard of the Commonwealth of Australia Great Hall, Australian Prime Minister’s Office Canberra, 28 May 2012
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Prime Minister Julia Gillard,
Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbot,
Ministers, Ambassadors,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
May I begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Prime Minister Gillard and the Australian Government for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation. For me personally, it is a pleasure to see Prime Minister Gillard again, following our fruitful and friendly discussions in Bali and our meeting in Seoul.
Sixty years of diplomatic relations have developed a strong foundation for the warm friendship between Australia and Thailand. With our discussions today, I am confident that this friendship will continue to grow, creating mutual benefits for our peoples and promoting further cooperation in many areas.
We enjoy strong trade and investment ties, supported by our Free Trade Agreement. Whether in the food industry or energy, our companies are actively building business links. Yesterday in Sydney, I took part in the first overseas launching of the Thai “Kitchen to the World” project, reflecting the importance of the Australian market for our food products and of Australia as a partner for addressing the challenge of food security.
Being fellow democracies that support human rights and rule of law, the two countries enjoy useful dialogue on regional and global issues of common concern. We work together to deal with regional challenges, from transnational crimes to natural disasters. Our armed forces have worked side-by-side, from UN peacekeeping missions in Timor Leste to anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
Our people-to-people ties bring us closer together. Our education links are strong, as is our tourism exchanges. And we welcome Australia’s close engagement with ASEAN and East Asia. It is no surprise that Australia is ASEAN’s oldest Dialogue Partner since 1974. In fact, Australia was one of the first countries to support regional connectivity, by helping build the first bridge across the Mekong River linking Thailand to Laos.
As we look to the future, I am confident that our partnership will not only continue to bring mutual benefit to our countries but also serve as an important pillar for peace and prosperity in our region.
Thank you.
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