PM Yingluck hailed Thai-US close relation that has been going on for 180 years with Thailand as the American oldest ally in Asia. Thai-US ties have been continuously strengthened with shared values in democracy and human rights, as well as a vision to become a growing partnership for the benefits and interests of the Asia-Pacific region.
Thai-US relations have been expanded in various areas. On security, Thailand is a major non-NATO ally of the US and both nations have held several joint activities such as strategic dialogues, and the exercise Cobra Gold. On economic aspect, the US is the third largest trading partner and investor of Thailand, while there are over 800,000 American tourists coming to the country each year. Thailand and the United States also have close ties in the area of education. A large number of Thai students have been to the US to study, including PM Yingluck. All these successful collaborations would further reinforce and develop Thai-US cooperation and relations.
In addition, Thailand endorsed full support for more of US roles in ASEAN and the region and would welcome American investors to invest in the fields of science and technology, education, as well as the Government’s transport network development project. PM Yingluck also added that she hoped to be able to discuss and exchange views on the reinforcement of Thai-US partnership and regional interests with President Obama in Washington D.C. in the near future.