MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai signed on Sunday two documents to further advance strategic alliance and partnership between the countries.
Blinken traveled to Thailand, one of the most staunch US allies in Asia, a day after his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Indonesia. It is Blinken's first official visit to Thailand, which coincided with the 190th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the states.
"Today we just finish off with the signing of a communiqué, the Thai-U.S. Communiqué on Strategic Alliance and Partnership, which is a testament to our close alliance and longstanding ties of friendship, which set forth our strategy goals based on shared values and common interests," Pramudwinai told the press after his meeting with Blinken.
The previous communique was signed 60 years ago by their predecessors, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Foreign Minister Thanat Khoman, in Washington.
The second document, a memorandum of understanding, aims to promote supply chain cooperation in critical industry and technological innovation.
Blinken, in turn, noted that he and Pramudwinai had "extremely productive dialogue," which focused on bilateral relations between Washington and Bangkok, joint work with ASEAN and other issues. The US official extolled Thailand as an important partner in the region, which shares "the goal of a free, open, interconnected, prosperous, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific." He particularly stressed the importance of cooperation in economy, security and climate agenda.
Thailand is considered a critical non-NATO ally of the US in the region. The military and strategic partnership between the two countries reached its peak during the US Indochina War (1965 � 1975) when Thailand served as the rear of the US troops fighting in Vietnam, with Thai soldiers fighting on the US side.
In recent decades, relations between the two countries have evolved with the continued presence of China's growing influence in the Southeast Asian region, with which Thailand also maintains close cooperation, especially in the field of trade and economy.
Thailand keeps up friendly relations with Russia. In 2022, the countries will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
