Welcoming Remarks by
H.E. Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul,
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand
At the Open Ended Consultations on International Code of Conduct for
Outer Space Activities
20 November 2013, at the Centara Grand CentralWorld, Bangkok
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Ambassador Jesus Miguel Sanz, Head of the EU Delegation in Bangkok, 
Ambassador Jacek Bylica, Principal Adviser and Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament of the EU,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning and thank you, Ambassador Miguel Sanz, for your kind words of introduction. And thank you for the honour of joining all of you this morning.

At the outset, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government, I would like to  warmly welcome all of you to Thailand.

As a country which supports the peaceful uses of outer space, we are delighted that the Open-Ended Consultations on the International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities is taking place here in Bangkok following the first consultations in Kiev this past May.

We commend the strong lead by the European Union in responding to  the United Nations’ call for developing Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures, known as TCBMs, in Outer Space Activities.
 
As such, the EU initiative could not be more timely. Space has become a busy place since Sputnik 1 launched the space age over fifty years ago. More and more countries are gaining space access capabilities. Even private firms now have the capacity to rival governmental space agencies.

In the past ten years alone, space activities -- both for civilian and military purposes -- have grown exponentially.

The surge is consistent with our efforts in building a truly information society which requires developing telecommunications and geo-informatics capabilities. And this means demand for more and more satellites to be put in orbit.

The crowding and congestion in outer space has immediate implications for the safety and security of assets and peoples we put into space.

We are starting to realize that the vastness of outer space is not as limitless as we thought.

As is the case with natural resources on earth, the use of outer space requires careful management and must be regulated in order to enhance rules of behaviour in space.      

The need to maintain long-term sustainability of our space environment is very much essential. Therefore, the international community needs to address the challenges of stability, safety, and security of outer space with responsibility and accountability to ensure that outer space will be available for our future generations to use.

This is important because advancement in ICT and its application through satellites can help to narrow the development disparity gaps and to set out new sustainable development goals under the post-2015 development agenda.

As a country which has derived immense benefits from space activities, Thailand believes that the Code of Conduct will allow interested countries to work together to keep space assets and space activities safe and secure.

We understand that the Code of Conduct contains elements which relate to issues of national security.  It is, therefore, essential that the process of drawing up this Code of Conduct be firmly based on mutual benefits of all concerned, transparency and voluntary cooperation, and that patience and close consultations would be needed.

Thailand also believes that the Code of Conduct will allow interested parties to address issues such as space debris, space traffic and share information in a transparent and a timely manner to minimize the risk of space collisions and damage to artificial space objects. All of these would be consistent with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Mitigation Guidelines.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is evident that activities in outer space have a direct bearing on our daily lives. I hope our discussions in the days ahead will contribute to the sustainable and peaceful uses of outer space. I wish you all a successful and fruitful meeting.

Thank you.