รัฐบาลไทย-ข่าวทำเนียบรัฐบาล-PM welcomes Governor-General of Commonwealth of Australia as guest of Thai Government
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 15 กุมภาพันธ์ 2567
15/02/2567
PM welcomes Governor-General of Commonwealth of Australia as guest of Thai Government
PM welcomes Governor-General of Commonwealth of Australia as guest of Thai Government
February 14, 2024, at 1045hrs, at the lawn in front of the Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin welcomed H.E. General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, upon the latter’s official visit to Thailand during February 13-17, 2024 as guest of the Thai Government.
An official welcoming ceremony was held with the review of honor guards. Later, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia signed the Visitors’ Book before exchanging souvenirs with the Prime Minister at the Outer Ivory Room. At 1100hrs, a bilateral meeting was held at the Inner Ivory Room. Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister expressed great pleasure to welcome the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia which is the first official visit of the Australian Governor-General to Thailand in 7 years. This visit reflects strong friendship between Thailand and Australia with regular exchange of visits at all levels. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend ASEAN - Australia Special Summit in Melbourne in early March. He will take this opportunity to meet and discuss with Australian private sector on business and investment cooperation.
The Australian Governor-General thanked the Thai Government and people for the warm welcome, and was glad to be back in the country. He commended close and long-standing relations between Thailand and Australia at all levels, and especially pleased that His Majesty King Rama X’s sixth cycle anniversary (72nd birthday anniversary) coincides with the 72nd anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Thailand and Australia. Strong and close relations will be a core foundation to strategic partnership between the two countries.
Both parties also discussed issues of mutual interests:
On economic cooperation, the Prime Minister congratulated Australia’s “Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040” which focuses on enhancing economic potentials between Australia and the Southeast Asian region including Thailand. The two leaders were confident that the strategy will be an important tool to increase economic engagement. The Prime Minister was of the view that the two countries enhance cooperation in food security which is the field of mutual potential, and which is also in line with the current geopolitical situation. Thailand wishes to exchange knowledge, practices, and technologies with Australia, especially agro technology, in a bid to uplift quality of life of the Thai farmers. The Australian Governor-General expressed pleasure to support exchange of learning in this area.
The Prime Minister also proposed reinforcing trade and investment cooperation through Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), and extended his invitation for Australian investors to consider making investment in Thailand in the fields of smart technology and green energy, particularly in the Landbridge project. The Thai Government has created an environment conducive to growth, developed comprehensive infrastructure, and provided innovative support. The Australian Governor-General agreed that the attendance at the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit of the Prime Minister and the Thai private sector delegation would be a good opportunity to promote investment cooperation between private sector of the two countries.
Both the Prime Minister and the Australian Governor-General also came to terms on increasing cooperation on the responses to climate change, especially an exchange of good practices, energy transition, and promotion of clean energy and EVs, in a bid to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The two leaders were also pleased with close military cooperation as part of the defense cooperation under strategic partnership, which includes joint military exercises, training, and exchange of personnel. The Prime Minister would like to increase cooperation with Australia in exchanging military technology, which both parties believe to be a key foundation to promote mutual trust and defense preparedness in response to future challenges.
Thailand and Australia came to terms to further strengthen people-to-people relations, especially an exchange of education, with the potential of Thai universities, and Australia being a popular destination among the Thai students.
On tourism cooperation, the Prime Minister emphasized the Government’s commitment to continue implementing tourism measures to ensure safety of the tourists and facilitate their stay in Thailand. He also hoped that Thailand and Australia consider negotiation on mutual visa exemption, and invited Australian travelers to experience Thailand’s healthcare tourism.
After the bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister invited the Australian Governor-General and spouse to watch Muay Thai live show. Later, they attended the luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister and his spouse at the Outer Santi Maitri Building.