On 20 March 2018, His Majesty the King graciously presided over the opening ceremony of the Great and Good Friends exhibition at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Members of the Privy Council, the Prime Minister, cabinet members, and senior officers from many government agencies, together with the Ambassador of the United States of America and senior officers from the Embassy of the United States of America, had an audience with the King on this occasion. Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in audience included H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with Mrs. Busaya Mathelin, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

          The Great and Good Friends exhibition was organized by the Embassy of the United States of America to commemorate 200 years of the first recorded contact between Thailand and the United States of America and will be open to the public between 21 March - 30 June 2018 at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in the Grand Palace. This year also marks the 185th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the United States of America.

          The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs, the Department of Protocol, and the Department of Information), together with the Bureau of the Royal Household and relevant Thai agencies, worked closely with the Embassy of the United States of America to facilitate the preparation process, including the customs clearance and security measures for the objects, and publicity for the exhibition.

          The 80 objects on display at the exhibition consist of important documents in the history of Thailand-United States relations and exquisite art objects loaned from the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the National Archives of the United States of America, the National Museum of Thailand, King Prajadhipok’s Institute, and the Film Archive (Public Organization). The gifts graciously presented by Thai monarchs to American Presidents symbolize the close and cordial ties between Thailand and the United States of America over the past 200 years.  They also stand testament to the royal vision and ability in conducting foreign affairs since the early days of Thailand’s Rattanakosin period, which have helped strengthened friendship and cooperation between the two countries up until the present.