Press Remarks by H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra Prime Minister of Thailand on the Occasion of the U.S. Secretary of State's Visit to Thailand Wednesday 16 November 2011, Government House
Madam Secretary,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me begin by welcoming Secretary Clinton to Thailand once again. It is always a pleasure for us here in Thailand to welcome our friends from the United States.
As like-minded countries with many shared values and beliefs, Thailand and the United States are allies and strategic partners that have long enjoyed close ties of friendship and cooperation.
That is why I regret very much not being able to attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Hawaii earlier this week. I have therefore asked Secretary Clinton to convey to President Obama my regrets and how much I look forward to meeting him during the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN-U.S. Leaders' Meeting in Bali in a few days time.
As a full-fledged democracy once again after the July general election and with the overwhelming mandate of the people, my Government and I look forward to working even closer with the United States to promote our bilateral ties as well as to address regional and international issues of common interest and concern.
First and foremost, though, I wish to place on record our thanks and appreciation to President Obama as well as the Government and people of the United States for the assistance extended to us in support of our flood relief efforts. The assistance-be it financial, technical or in-kind assistance-was not only generous, but timely.
Given the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters in the region and elsewhere, the need for closer cooperation on disaster management cannot be over emphasized. In this connection, Thailand has been in discussion with the United States about the possibility of using Utapao Airport for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) purposes, especially on rapid deployment in case of disasters in the region, developing standard operating procedures and enhancing skills and readiness for HADR capabilities. We in Thailand stand ready to work in partnership with the United States on this very important issue.
The damaging effects of natural disasters on crop cultivation and food production is also an issue of great concern-one that is directly related to food security. This is an issue that we will have to address as well in order to ensure the well-being of our peoples.
With the APEC meetings just concluded, I also wish to take opportunity to congratulate the United States for its successful chairmanship of APEC, during which significant progress was made towards its mission of regional economic integration and to the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment.
Lastly, I want to say how much we welcome the United States' continued engagement with Asia and Southeast Asia in particular.
I therefore look forward to my bilateral meeting with President Obama on Saturday. Given the breadth and depth of our partnership, as well as our similar outlook on many of the challenges and opportunities now before us, there is much Thailand and the United States can do together.
Thank you.