Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, paid an official visit to Thailand as guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand on 10 January 2019. 

 

During the visit, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia paid a courtesy call on H.E. Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, at the Government House. The two sides agreed to expand security cooperation, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and transnational crimes, narcotics prevention and suppression, as well as anti-human trafficking. Minister Payne also expressed her readiness to fully support Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship.  

 

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia also co-signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber and Digital Cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of Australia with H.E. Mr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, which focuses on enhancing cyber security capacity as well as strengthening digital market in Thailand. 

 

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia also had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two sides welcomed the close and longstanding ties between Thailand and Australia and agreed to strengthen partnership and cooperation, both bilaterally and under the ASEAN framework, in areas of mutual benefits such as development cooperation towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, people-to-people connection, cyber affairs, counter-transnational organised crime, border management, and counter-human trafficking.  

 

During the bilateral meeting, Foreign Minister Payne expressed support for Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship theme in 2019 as well as the theme “Partnership for Sustainability”. Both sides agreed to collaborate towards the completion of RCEP negotiation by 2019. Minister Payne also reiterated Australia’s interest in becoming ACMECS Development Partner with potential cooperation on enhancing physical and cyber connectivity in the sub-region. Moreover, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on key regional issues of mutual interests, including the Indo-Pacific concept and the Thai proposal on possible expansion of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), in which the Australian side also expressed interest.

 

This visit is Minister Payne’s first official visit to Thailand after her assumption of office as Minister for Foreign Affairs. The visit reflects the close partnership between Thailand and Australia and helps further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries with mutual aspiration towards regional stability, prosperity, and sustainable development.