Ambassador Tanee met with Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

On 23 March 2023, Ambassador Tanee Sangrat met with Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, at the U.S. Department of State to discuss cooperation on culture, cultural heritage and educational activities between Thailand and the U.S., especially during the 190th Anniversary of Thailand-U.S. Diplomatic Relations this year.

Ambassador Tanee told A/S Satterfield about the Embassy’s plan to organize a Thai festival in Washington, D.C. on 2 July 2023 in front of the Capitol, which will showcase Muay Thai, Thai traditional massage, include a Thai textile fashion show, Thai food, Thai fruits, and innovative products from Thai companies. The festival is also aimed to include aspects of American culture that are popular among Thais such as jazz music. A/S Satterfield congratulated Ambassador Tanee on the plan and suggested that the Embassy discuss with the Herbie Hancock Institute and Mr. Thomas Dolby, a famous musician in the Jazz Ambassadors project that the State Department is currently implementing.

In addition, both sides also talked about educational programs like YES Abroad, YSEALI, and Fulbright and the possibility to announce a new cultural exchange program during the upcoming seminar on people-to-people interactions this fall. They also discussed a cultural heritage conservation project that the U.S. side is interested in cooperating with the Thai side on, sister city partnerships of Chiangmai-Austin / Samut Songkhram-Mount Airy / Bangkok-Washington D.C. as well as a possibility to increase the number of students studying in the U.S., which would be beneficial for both countries.