No. 442 / 2549

On 10 October 2006 at 09.00 hrs., at Vithes Samosorn Hall, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sawanit Kongsiri, upon their assumption of duty, paid homage to the statues of His Royal Highness Prince Devavongse Varoprakran, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1923 under the reign of H.M. King Rama V and was recognized as the "Father of Thai Diplomacy,” and His Royal Highness Prince Naradhip Bongsarabandh , former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who was the first Thai to be elected as the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1956 - 1957.

On this occasion, the Foreign Minister told the media that the conduct of Foreign Affairs in his view concerns the ultimate interests of the nation and the Thai people as a whole, and not the matter of interest of any specific groups or any political parties.    He would pursue foreign affairs along this principle.  He also would like to refer to H.M. the King’s royal advice made yesterday (9 October 2006) to the cabinet that the most important task is to create a better perception of international community towards Thailand.  What the Foreign Minister would like to do is to promote the country’s national interests by strengthening the diplomatic relations with all partners, particularly key countries with longstanding ties with Thailand, in order to maximize mutual benefits in the political, economic, security, and social areas.     

The Foreign Minister fully realized that there must be continuity in the implementation of Thai Foreign Policy.  Thailand has to reaffirm its readiness to further pursue relationships with its partners so that they would be reassured that friendly cooperation with Thailand will be continued without disruption.

 Furthermore, Thailand has more than 80 diplomatic missions and consular offices around the world, and the Foreign Minister will utilize these missions to take care of Thai people living abroad and also to pursue the government’s policies.  He also stated that the Thai foreign policy, in detail, will be drafted soon and will be submitted to the National Legislature for approval later. 

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                                            10 October 2006