On 23 April 2019, Mr. Paskorn Siriyaphan, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Thailand, together with H.E. Mrs. Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil, presided over the opening reception of the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. 

 

Thailand and Brazil established diplomatic relations on 17 April 1959. Throughout the past decades, their relationship has been strengthened by regular exchanges of visits at all levels, notably the Official Visit of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun to Brazil in 1993 when he was the Crown Prince of Thailand, and the visits to Brazil of 4 former Prime Ministers of Thailand. Most recently, H.E. Mr. Aloysio Nunes, former Foreign Minister of Brazil, paid a working visit to Thailand in May 2018 and agreed with the Thai side to organise an event to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and Brazil. Despite the distance separating the two countries, their relationship is close and cordial and covers a broad range of sectors, including trade and investment and technical cooperation in agriculture, technology and defense. Thailand and Brazil have also been working closely with each other in regional and multilateral fora, and in strengthening people-to-people ties. 

 

The reception was held to promote closer people-to-people contact and a better understanding of each other through art, music, film, gastronomy, tourism, and language-learning. The Embassy of Brazil in Thailand also launched the Brazilian Film Festival, which will be organised during 25 – 28 April 2019 at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC). Food and beverages from both countries were served at the reception, which was enlivened by the display of ice-carving sculptures, a performance of contemporary Thai music, a bossa-nova tune sung by a Thai diplomat, duets by a Brazilian pianist and a Thai violinist, and a demonstration of Capoeira, which is a form of Brazilian martial art.  

 

The reception of the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and Brazil was attended by over 300 persons from the diplomatic corps, senior officials from various agencies, and representatives from the private sector, educational institutions and the media. This auspicious event truly reflects the multifaceted partnership between Thailand and Brazil, which has the potential to expand in the future.