Anutin, Albanese agree to deepen Thailand-Australia strategic ties

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership during Anutin's first official visit to Australia in 14 years. The bilateral talks took place at Parliament House in Canberra on August 19, ahead of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year. The visit aimed to deepen cooperation in several key areas.

During their talks, the two leaders focused on tackling transnational crime, expanding economic ties, strengthening cooperation in science and innovation, and enhancing people-to-people connections. In the realm of security, Thailand and Australia agreed to bolster collaboration in combating transnational threats, including online scams, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

The nations also welcomed a Joint Statement on Transnational Crime, which seeks to enhance efforts to prevent and combat cross-border crime at bilateral, regional, and global levels. Additionally, they endorsed a Leaders’ Statement on Deepening Economic Engagement, with the aim of leveraging the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), increasing bilateral trade and investment in strategic sectors, and championing a rules-based multilateral trading system.

Thailand and Australia also signed a Letter of Intent between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) of Thailand and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia, intending to expand cooperation in science, research, and innovation. Defense cooperation was further emphasized, with both countries proposing the establishment of a biennial Thailand-Australia Defence Ministers’ Meeting to strengthen defense ties and support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

People-to-people ties were highlighted as crucial, with Anutin praising the Thai community's contributions to Australian society and noting the ongoing appeal of Thailand as a tourist destination for Australians. At the regional level, Thailand and Australia pledged to collaborate closely through ASEAN, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), the Mekong-Australia Partnership, and other relevant frameworks.

Anutin expressed gratitude to Australia for its continued support of Thailand's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and thanked Albanese and the Australian government and people for their warm welcome. He stated that these agreements would pave the way for new opportunities in the economy, security, innovation, and people-to-people relations, as both countries prepare to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic ties.