Remarks
by
Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Kingdom of Thailand
at the Thai Festival 2013
Kaiserweisee, Vienna, 2 July 2013

Your Royal Highness,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to be present here at the opening of the Thai Festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Republic of Austria.

The relationship between our two countries dates back to when Emperor Franz Joseph I sent legations to seek friendship with Siam during the reign of King Chulalongkorn or Rama V. 

Subsequently, in May 1869, our two nations signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation. This treaty became the first milestone of our diplomatic relations and formed the basis for the formal establishment at the ambassadorial level in 1963.

Since then, our two nations have had a remarkable journey over the past six decades. We have seen great growth in trade, investment, education, scientific and technical cooperation, cultural exchanges as well as people-to-people contacts.

In celebrating our past achievements, we also need to look ahead to the future. We have come a long way and accomplished much. However, I believe that there are many unexplored opportunities still available to us.

Your Royal Highness,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The future of our relations rests on the sharing of knowledge and ideas. The exchange of our younger generations will be another strong foundation of our relations.

More Thai students are looking to Austria as a destination for higher education, with almost 300 Thai students currently studying here. 

At the same time, I am glad to find that more and more Austrians are making Thailand their holiday destination. Last year, the number of Austrian tourists visiting Thailand exceeded 100,000 persons and we are looking forward to welcoming many more this year.

For this reason, the Royal Thai Government is very conscious of how better understanding of each other’s cultures and traditions can lead to a reservoir of goodwill and cooperation among nations.

We therefore strongly support holding cultural events such as today’s Thai Festival in Vienna. Such activities aim to introduce Thailand to the local people through the uniqueness of Thai art, food and culture.

I therefore wish to commend the initiative of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna for showcasing our Thainess in such a splendid atmosphere. I hope everyone will enjoy the festival and think of Thailand for your next holiday. 

Thank you.