Thai prime minister welcomes new U.S. Ambassador

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and some members of the cabinet welcomed new U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec to the Kingdom last week with meetings at Government House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both allies pledged even closer cooperation on a range of issues, including the economy.

Ambassador Godec used the occasion of his courtesy call with PM Prayut to express his commitment to strengthening the Thailand-U.S. relations, especially to celebrate the 190^th Anniversary of both countries’ diplomatic relations next year. Thailand is the oldest treaty partner of the U.S. The two countries signed their first Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1833 during the reign of Rama III and the presidency of Andrew Jackson.

Ambassador Godec also voiced support for Thailand’s hosting of the 2022 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which will be handed over to the U.S. to be the host country for 2023.

PM Prayut congratulated Ambassador Godec on his appointment and said that his experience would help take bilateral ties to a new level. A veteran of the Department of State, Godec previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and then Tunisia. He is a native of Illinois and holds a Masters’s Degree from Yale University.

Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said that PM Prayut and Ambassador Godec discussed Thailand’s economic rebound and its Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model. The model involves investment expansion, supply chain and digital economy promotion and clean energy technology, all areas of cooperation and commerce between the two nations.

Photo courtesy of https://www.thaigov.go.th/news/contents/details/61350