Bangkok--Nov 29--MFA
Keynote Address “Thailand - Norway Relations : Their Roles in Promoting Peace and Stability” by Mr. Vitthya Vejjajiva, Special Envoy and Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand at the Thai-Norwegian Seminar on “Sharing Experiences in Promoting Regional and Global Peace” on Thursday, 25 November 2004 at Maha Chulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University ***********************
Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and
Your Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With Your Royal Highnesses’ gracious permission, may I state at the outset that it is a great honour for me, on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, to address this distinguished gathering on “Thailand - Norway Relations : Their Roles in Promoting Peace and Stability” at the Thai-Norwegian seminar on “Sharing Experiences in Promoting Regional and Global Peace” co-organized by Chulalongkorn University, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
This seminar is most timely as it is held in conjunction with the Official Visit to Thailand of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway as Guests of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand. The gracious presence of Your Royal Highnesses here today makes this Seminar so unique and significant. I am delighted to see participating at this seminar representatives from the public and private sectors, including the academics of both countries. Their views and thoughts contributed to this seminar would not only benefit the joint efforts in searching for peace, but would also enhance the mutual understanding on Thai-Norwegian relations in all dimensions.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
First of all, I would like to touch briefly upon an overview of bilateral relations between Thailand and Norway as the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway offers an opportune time to deepen our relationship. Later on, we will see how Thailand contributes to peace and stability in the international community and will look at how Thailand and Norway can cooperate in sustaining peace in the present challenging world.
Thailand and Norway have enjoyed close and cordial relations for almost a century. Our friendship dates back to 1905 when the two countries established the first diplomatic contact after the peaceful dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway. Since then, relations between the two countries have broadened significantly, ranging from economic to political and cultural to social fields.
The Royal Visit to North Cape, Norway, of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn in 1907 laid the foundation for the close ties of friendship between our two countries and peoples. The State Visit to Norway of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand in 1960 and the State Visit to Thailand of His Majesty King Olav V of Norway in 1965, as well as the Royal Visits of members of the respective Royal Families over the years, have contributed to the strengthening of our friendship and mutual cooperation.
The friendship between Thailand and Norway goes far beyond historical ties. Culturally, the land of smiles and the land of the mid-night sun are much closer to each other. The Thai Museum at North Cape is testimony to the long-standing relationship of the two countries. Nowadays, this historical landmark has become an attractive destination for the Thai visitors.
Our bilateral ties are also rewarding in other aspects. Thailand continues to remain a preferred destination for almost 100,000 Norwegians every year. More Norwegian tourists are welcomed to enjoy not only the traditional tourist attractions, but also our hospitality in providing health care and treatment, including our Thai cuisine.
We recognize Norway’s importance as our gateway to the Nordic region. Thailand is impressed by the advance state of Norwegian technology and industrial development. There is room to further expand economic cooperation in trade, investment and services. We welcome more Norwegian investment and know-how in the areas of basic transportation systems and public utilities, such as telecommunications and ICT, all of which Norway excels at.
In the year 2005, our relationship will assume special significance since it will mark the 100th anniversary of Thai-Norwegian diplomatic ties. This event will offer us the opportunity to expand our relations and strategic partnership even more dynamically.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Given those highlights, I believe we can forge closer cooperation in the area of common interest at both regional and global levels, particularly in the pursuit of peace and security. The good example of our joint efforts in this regard can be seen in Sri Lanka, as mentioned just now by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Norway in her Opening Address. Thailand and Norway have experienced good working relationship to secure peace there since 2002. We support and commend Norway’s efforts in promoting the peace process and dialogue among parties concerned in Sri Lanka. On her part, Thailand, as the venue for the Sri Lanka’s Peace Talks in 2002 and twice in 2003, is ready to provide the venue and necessary facilities for future Peace Talks.
With the new international strategic landscape, Thailand looks forward to peace and stability based on her pro-active roles in humanitarian and sustainable development aspects. Thailand believes also that she can serve as a bridge and link with both intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation frameworks. While Thailand and Norway have their own approaches of safeguarding peace, the ultimate goal remains the same. On this part, I would like to share with you Thailand’s experience in peace efforts in the region and beyond.
In Southeast Asia, ASEAN has represented the cornerstone of our foreign policy for the past 37 years. ASEAN continues to remain open and outward-looking. In the area of regional security, ASEAN has placed great importance on the active engagement of countries outside the region at the ASEAN Regional Forum or ARF. Thailand views the ARF as the multilateral forum where member countries from every corner of the world are able to address political and security issues in the region, thus bringing key players and actors into the regional security dialogue process. On our part, we would like to see the ARF develop into an effective forum, that can respond to security concerns and threats in a practical and timely manner, and move forward from the stage of confidence building to that of preventive diplomacy.
Apart from ASEAN, Thailand also shares the common vision and aspiration of the members of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia or CICA for sustained peace and security in Asia and the international community at large. Thailand is proud to be the newest CICA member since October this year. As the first ASEAN member of CICA, Thailand will play a constructive role in linking CICA with ASEAN and the ARF. Our interaction with the 17 members of CICA would significantly strengthen capacity building in dealing with security issues and conflict settlement.
Thailand also plays the leading role in promoting regional integration as a means to achieve both security and sustainable development at the sub-regional and regional levels. In so doing, Thailand and ASEAN are working with the East Asian friends to create the East Asian Community comprising the ASEAN 10, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. To the west, Thailand has sought to enhance her cooperation with neighbours in South Asia. The first Summit of BIMSTEC, the cooperation of 7 countries in Southeast and South Asia in Bangkok in July 2004, has intensified greater networking and partnership among countries in the regions. In addition, the Asia Dialogue Cooperation or ACD, the first Asia-wide cooperation, initiated by the Thai Prime Minister, focuses on intra-Asian cooperation. These emerging cooperative endeavours will have wide-ranging and long-term impact in the region and beyond. The stronger we are in Asia, the better the partnership we can have with others.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Our common challenge in the present-day world is no less than to prevent conflict, close the development gap, alleviate poverty and protect societies from both security threats and non-traditional ones. As international terrorism becomes a global threat, Thailand has attached great importance to fighting against it. We have amended our domestic laws to cope with terrorist activities. We are now a signatory to five of the United Nations conventions against terrorism.
On the international front, Thailand has played a constructive and humanitarian role in Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. Our military personnel in various fields have provided humanitarian assistance in Iraq. As part of the reconstruction efforts for Afghanistan, Thailand is sharing her experience and knowledge in reducing opium cultivation through crop substitution programmes under the renowned Royal Sponsored Project of His Majesty the King. We can share our experiences in combining peacekeeping operations with transfer of technology for sustainable development as part of the process of post-conflict peace-building as we have successfully done in Timor-Leste. We look forward to enhancing meaningful cooperation with Norway in addressing these global concerns. Both Thailand and Norway share the same commitment and have devoted our individual efforts towards peace in the international community.
From Timor-Leste to Sri Lanka and from Afghanistan to Iraq, taking part in securing peace around the region, Thailand has made the efforts to combat non-traditional security issues as well. We see the need to solve these issues since such threats as the illicit trade in narcotic drugs, human trafficking and transnational crimes are undermining the security and well-being of our peoples. We consider that development of human security and state security must proceed on parallel tracks. That is why human security is one of the pillars of our foreign policy. As Thailand assumes the Chairmanship of Human Security Network (HSN) in 2005-2006, we continue to work more intensively with other like-minded countries, such as Norway, and in other international arena. We advocate the balanced development of freedom from fear and freedom from want as they are two inseparable elements of human security.
We also look at the issue of landmines in similar fashion. As President of the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention, Thailand has been working with the World Bank in carrying out the activities of mine action more concretely. We appreciate the Bank’s readiness to mobilize resources for the training of de-miners and the capacity building for survivors.
On these two approaches, Thailand appreciates Norway’s support and cooperation. We will build a stronger partnership with Norway bilaterally and internationally.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Thailand also attaches importance to other forms of human security, particularly the development cooperation in line with the Millennium Development Goals or MDG. We are convinced that development cooperation will play a complementary role in strengthening peace and stability. We begin our efforts in the adjacent neighbours in the ACMECS initiatives, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy. The idea is to share our development experiences with our immediate neighbours and to promote long-term economic prosperity together. With this in mind, Thailand has actively engaged our European friends, including Norway, to be our partners for cooperation in the ACMECS scheme. The Asian Development Bank or ADB has expressed interest to work with Thailand in the project as well.
While working towards sustainable development in Asia under the initiatives in the ACMECS, the BIMSTEC and the ACD, Thailand is developing closer ties with other regions, particularly in the context of South-South cooperation. Through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development or NEPAD, we provide technical support and share experiences in areas where we have a comparative advantage. We also work with other UN agencies such as the UNDP to extend development cooperation to African countries. These kinds of cooperation, from Asia to Africa, will serve as the effective regional mechanisms to strengthen the stability and development of their respective regions.
Norway, as one of the Nordic countries to allocate over 0.7 percent of its GDP to development assistance, is at the forefront of promoting international development cooperation. With our shared interest in this area, Thailand looks forward to constructive cooperation with Norway in extending technical assistance to third countries, especially through the trilateral framework. Perhaps, this is potentialially the additional dimension where Norway can work with Thailand to add further value to our relationship.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Thailand’s efforts to reach out and share experiences are not limited to Asia and Africa. We have interacted more closely with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or OSCE. After becoming a Partner for Cooperation of the OSCE in 2000, Thailand has been active in participating in the OSCE’s activities. The experiences gained in studying the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security issues, conflict prevention and crisis management will complement our work in other intra-regional fora, such as the ARF and the CICA.
At the global level, Thailand recognizes the constructive role of Norway in multilateral diplomacy. When the Thai people think of Norway's role in international affairs, they readily recognize the name of Trygve Lie, the first UN Secretary-General, and the capital of Norway, Oslo, as the venue for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. As a founding member of NATO and having an active role in the UN, Norway is well placed to promote international peace and security. We have always admired Norway's peace aspirations. In our view, the role of the UN must be modified and strengthened in order to meet the new realities and challenges in today’s world . It is our hope that our efforts in regional and inter-regional frameworks would support and advance the UN’s goals on development and security, namely reducing poverty, tackling trans-national issues and combating international terrorism.
Having participated in both regional and inter-regional fora, we in Thailand hope that our political will and commitment would contribute to peaceful co-existence without mistrust or conflicts, but with trust and confidence in many parts of the world. Toward this end, support from our friends, such as Norway, would be warmly welcomed and appreciated.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
When we look back to our cooperation, which encompasses activities from the enhancement of human security to a search for peace and stability, we can justly characterize relations between our two countries as being beneficial and fruitful. We are ready to work with Norway to realize the full potentials of our relationship in all areas of mutual interest.
Last but not least, throughout the 99 years of our diplomatic ties, our friendship remains strong and solid as reflected in our collaboration in bilateral and multilateral frameworks. To continue the momentum, we look forward to the centenary anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2005. The Official Visit to Thailand of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway reaffirms the significance. As the event is approaching, I am confident that both the public and private sectors of the two countries will take this unique opportunity to further consolidate and promote the traditional friendship, as well as to push the joint cooperation to a higher plane. The centennial of Thailand-Norway relations will open a new chapter of partnership.
May Thailand and Norway continue to prosper as may indeed the long-standing friendship between our two countries and peoples.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5105 Fax. (02) 643-5106-7 E-mail : [email protected] End.
-PM-
Keynote Address “Thailand - Norway Relations : Their Roles in Promoting Peace and Stability” by Mr. Vitthya Vejjajiva, Special Envoy and Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand at the Thai-Norwegian Seminar on “Sharing Experiences in Promoting Regional and Global Peace” on Thursday, 25 November 2004 at Maha Chulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University ***********************
Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and
Your Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With Your Royal Highnesses’ gracious permission, may I state at the outset that it is a great honour for me, on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, to address this distinguished gathering on “Thailand - Norway Relations : Their Roles in Promoting Peace and Stability” at the Thai-Norwegian seminar on “Sharing Experiences in Promoting Regional and Global Peace” co-organized by Chulalongkorn University, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
This seminar is most timely as it is held in conjunction with the Official Visit to Thailand of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway as Guests of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand. The gracious presence of Your Royal Highnesses here today makes this Seminar so unique and significant. I am delighted to see participating at this seminar representatives from the public and private sectors, including the academics of both countries. Their views and thoughts contributed to this seminar would not only benefit the joint efforts in searching for peace, but would also enhance the mutual understanding on Thai-Norwegian relations in all dimensions.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
First of all, I would like to touch briefly upon an overview of bilateral relations between Thailand and Norway as the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway offers an opportune time to deepen our relationship. Later on, we will see how Thailand contributes to peace and stability in the international community and will look at how Thailand and Norway can cooperate in sustaining peace in the present challenging world.
Thailand and Norway have enjoyed close and cordial relations for almost a century. Our friendship dates back to 1905 when the two countries established the first diplomatic contact after the peaceful dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway. Since then, relations between the two countries have broadened significantly, ranging from economic to political and cultural to social fields.
The Royal Visit to North Cape, Norway, of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn in 1907 laid the foundation for the close ties of friendship between our two countries and peoples. The State Visit to Norway of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand in 1960 and the State Visit to Thailand of His Majesty King Olav V of Norway in 1965, as well as the Royal Visits of members of the respective Royal Families over the years, have contributed to the strengthening of our friendship and mutual cooperation.
The friendship between Thailand and Norway goes far beyond historical ties. Culturally, the land of smiles and the land of the mid-night sun are much closer to each other. The Thai Museum at North Cape is testimony to the long-standing relationship of the two countries. Nowadays, this historical landmark has become an attractive destination for the Thai visitors.
Our bilateral ties are also rewarding in other aspects. Thailand continues to remain a preferred destination for almost 100,000 Norwegians every year. More Norwegian tourists are welcomed to enjoy not only the traditional tourist attractions, but also our hospitality in providing health care and treatment, including our Thai cuisine.
We recognize Norway’s importance as our gateway to the Nordic region. Thailand is impressed by the advance state of Norwegian technology and industrial development. There is room to further expand economic cooperation in trade, investment and services. We welcome more Norwegian investment and know-how in the areas of basic transportation systems and public utilities, such as telecommunications and ICT, all of which Norway excels at.
In the year 2005, our relationship will assume special significance since it will mark the 100th anniversary of Thai-Norwegian diplomatic ties. This event will offer us the opportunity to expand our relations and strategic partnership even more dynamically.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Given those highlights, I believe we can forge closer cooperation in the area of common interest at both regional and global levels, particularly in the pursuit of peace and security. The good example of our joint efforts in this regard can be seen in Sri Lanka, as mentioned just now by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Norway in her Opening Address. Thailand and Norway have experienced good working relationship to secure peace there since 2002. We support and commend Norway’s efforts in promoting the peace process and dialogue among parties concerned in Sri Lanka. On her part, Thailand, as the venue for the Sri Lanka’s Peace Talks in 2002 and twice in 2003, is ready to provide the venue and necessary facilities for future Peace Talks.
With the new international strategic landscape, Thailand looks forward to peace and stability based on her pro-active roles in humanitarian and sustainable development aspects. Thailand believes also that she can serve as a bridge and link with both intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation frameworks. While Thailand and Norway have their own approaches of safeguarding peace, the ultimate goal remains the same. On this part, I would like to share with you Thailand’s experience in peace efforts in the region and beyond.
In Southeast Asia, ASEAN has represented the cornerstone of our foreign policy for the past 37 years. ASEAN continues to remain open and outward-looking. In the area of regional security, ASEAN has placed great importance on the active engagement of countries outside the region at the ASEAN Regional Forum or ARF. Thailand views the ARF as the multilateral forum where member countries from every corner of the world are able to address political and security issues in the region, thus bringing key players and actors into the regional security dialogue process. On our part, we would like to see the ARF develop into an effective forum, that can respond to security concerns and threats in a practical and timely manner, and move forward from the stage of confidence building to that of preventive diplomacy.
Apart from ASEAN, Thailand also shares the common vision and aspiration of the members of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia or CICA for sustained peace and security in Asia and the international community at large. Thailand is proud to be the newest CICA member since October this year. As the first ASEAN member of CICA, Thailand will play a constructive role in linking CICA with ASEAN and the ARF. Our interaction with the 17 members of CICA would significantly strengthen capacity building in dealing with security issues and conflict settlement.
Thailand also plays the leading role in promoting regional integration as a means to achieve both security and sustainable development at the sub-regional and regional levels. In so doing, Thailand and ASEAN are working with the East Asian friends to create the East Asian Community comprising the ASEAN 10, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. To the west, Thailand has sought to enhance her cooperation with neighbours in South Asia. The first Summit of BIMSTEC, the cooperation of 7 countries in Southeast and South Asia in Bangkok in July 2004, has intensified greater networking and partnership among countries in the regions. In addition, the Asia Dialogue Cooperation or ACD, the first Asia-wide cooperation, initiated by the Thai Prime Minister, focuses on intra-Asian cooperation. These emerging cooperative endeavours will have wide-ranging and long-term impact in the region and beyond. The stronger we are in Asia, the better the partnership we can have with others.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Our common challenge in the present-day world is no less than to prevent conflict, close the development gap, alleviate poverty and protect societies from both security threats and non-traditional ones. As international terrorism becomes a global threat, Thailand has attached great importance to fighting against it. We have amended our domestic laws to cope with terrorist activities. We are now a signatory to five of the United Nations conventions against terrorism.
On the international front, Thailand has played a constructive and humanitarian role in Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. Our military personnel in various fields have provided humanitarian assistance in Iraq. As part of the reconstruction efforts for Afghanistan, Thailand is sharing her experience and knowledge in reducing opium cultivation through crop substitution programmes under the renowned Royal Sponsored Project of His Majesty the King. We can share our experiences in combining peacekeeping operations with transfer of technology for sustainable development as part of the process of post-conflict peace-building as we have successfully done in Timor-Leste. We look forward to enhancing meaningful cooperation with Norway in addressing these global concerns. Both Thailand and Norway share the same commitment and have devoted our individual efforts towards peace in the international community.
From Timor-Leste to Sri Lanka and from Afghanistan to Iraq, taking part in securing peace around the region, Thailand has made the efforts to combat non-traditional security issues as well. We see the need to solve these issues since such threats as the illicit trade in narcotic drugs, human trafficking and transnational crimes are undermining the security and well-being of our peoples. We consider that development of human security and state security must proceed on parallel tracks. That is why human security is one of the pillars of our foreign policy. As Thailand assumes the Chairmanship of Human Security Network (HSN) in 2005-2006, we continue to work more intensively with other like-minded countries, such as Norway, and in other international arena. We advocate the balanced development of freedom from fear and freedom from want as they are two inseparable elements of human security.
We also look at the issue of landmines in similar fashion. As President of the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention, Thailand has been working with the World Bank in carrying out the activities of mine action more concretely. We appreciate the Bank’s readiness to mobilize resources for the training of de-miners and the capacity building for survivors.
On these two approaches, Thailand appreciates Norway’s support and cooperation. We will build a stronger partnership with Norway bilaterally and internationally.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Thailand also attaches importance to other forms of human security, particularly the development cooperation in line with the Millennium Development Goals or MDG. We are convinced that development cooperation will play a complementary role in strengthening peace and stability. We begin our efforts in the adjacent neighbours in the ACMECS initiatives, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy. The idea is to share our development experiences with our immediate neighbours and to promote long-term economic prosperity together. With this in mind, Thailand has actively engaged our European friends, including Norway, to be our partners for cooperation in the ACMECS scheme. The Asian Development Bank or ADB has expressed interest to work with Thailand in the project as well.
While working towards sustainable development in Asia under the initiatives in the ACMECS, the BIMSTEC and the ACD, Thailand is developing closer ties with other regions, particularly in the context of South-South cooperation. Through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development or NEPAD, we provide technical support and share experiences in areas where we have a comparative advantage. We also work with other UN agencies such as the UNDP to extend development cooperation to African countries. These kinds of cooperation, from Asia to Africa, will serve as the effective regional mechanisms to strengthen the stability and development of their respective regions.
Norway, as one of the Nordic countries to allocate over 0.7 percent of its GDP to development assistance, is at the forefront of promoting international development cooperation. With our shared interest in this area, Thailand looks forward to constructive cooperation with Norway in extending technical assistance to third countries, especially through the trilateral framework. Perhaps, this is potentialially the additional dimension where Norway can work with Thailand to add further value to our relationship.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
Thailand’s efforts to reach out and share experiences are not limited to Asia and Africa. We have interacted more closely with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or OSCE. After becoming a Partner for Cooperation of the OSCE in 2000, Thailand has been active in participating in the OSCE’s activities. The experiences gained in studying the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security issues, conflict prevention and crisis management will complement our work in other intra-regional fora, such as the ARF and the CICA.
At the global level, Thailand recognizes the constructive role of Norway in multilateral diplomacy. When the Thai people think of Norway's role in international affairs, they readily recognize the name of Trygve Lie, the first UN Secretary-General, and the capital of Norway, Oslo, as the venue for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. As a founding member of NATO and having an active role in the UN, Norway is well placed to promote international peace and security. We have always admired Norway's peace aspirations. In our view, the role of the UN must be modified and strengthened in order to meet the new realities and challenges in today’s world . It is our hope that our efforts in regional and inter-regional frameworks would support and advance the UN’s goals on development and security, namely reducing poverty, tackling trans-national issues and combating international terrorism.
Having participated in both regional and inter-regional fora, we in Thailand hope that our political will and commitment would contribute to peaceful co-existence without mistrust or conflicts, but with trust and confidence in many parts of the world. Toward this end, support from our friends, such as Norway, would be warmly welcomed and appreciated.
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellency,
Distinguished Participants,
When we look back to our cooperation, which encompasses activities from the enhancement of human security to a search for peace and stability, we can justly characterize relations between our two countries as being beneficial and fruitful. We are ready to work with Norway to realize the full potentials of our relationship in all areas of mutual interest.
Last but not least, throughout the 99 years of our diplomatic ties, our friendship remains strong and solid as reflected in our collaboration in bilateral and multilateral frameworks. To continue the momentum, we look forward to the centenary anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2005. The Official Visit to Thailand of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway reaffirms the significance. As the event is approaching, I am confident that both the public and private sectors of the two countries will take this unique opportunity to further consolidate and promote the traditional friendship, as well as to push the joint cooperation to a higher plane. The centennial of Thailand-Norway relations will open a new chapter of partnership.
May Thailand and Norway continue to prosper as may indeed the long-standing friendship between our two countries and peoples.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5105 Fax. (02) 643-5106-7 E-mail : [email protected] End.
-PM-