Foreign relations of Thailand

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Thailand's foreign policy includes support for ASEAN in the interest of regional stability and emphasis on a close and longstanding security relationship with the United States. The foreign relations of Thailand is handled by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

Thailand participates fully in international and regional organizations. It has developed increasingly close ties with other ASEAN members--Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, and Vietnam--whose foreign and economic ministers hold annual meetings. Regional cooperation is progressing in economic, trade, banking, political, and cultural matters. In 2003, Thailand served as APEC host. Supachai Panitchpakdi, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, currently serves as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2005 Thailand attended the inaugural East Asia Summit.

In recent years, Thailand has taken an increasingly active role on the international stage. When East Timor gained independence from Indonesia, Thailand, for the first time in its history, contributed troops to the international peacekeeping effort. Its troops remain there today as part of a UN peacekeeping force. As part of its effort to increase international ties, Thailand has reached out to such regional organizations as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Thailand has contributed troops to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Disputes - international: parts of the border with Laos are indefinite; maritime boundary with Vietnam resolved, August 1997; parts of border with Cambodia are indefinite; maritime boundary with Cambodia not clearly defined; sporadic conflict with Burma over alignment of border.

Illicit drugs: A minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; major illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in amphetamine production for regional consumption; increasing indigenous abuse of methamphetamines and heroin.

[edit] International organization participation

APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

[edit] U.S.-Thailand relations

Main article: major non-NATO ally

In 2003, the United States designated Thailand as a major non-NATO ally, which grants Thailand many financial and military benefits derived from the United States.

[edit] Relations by Country

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Australia	1952	See Australia-Thailand relations Thailand is represented through its embassy in Canberra and a consulate general in Sydney. Australia has an embassy in Bangkok. Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement
Bulgaria	1974-04-10	Since 1975, Bulgaria has embassy in Bangkok.^[1] Thailand has an honorary consulate in Sofia.^[2]
Canada		See Canada–Thailand relations
Croatia	1992-09-09	Croatia is represented in Thailand through its embassy in Jakarta (Indonesia) and through an honorary consulate in Bangkok.^[3] Thailand is represented in Croatia through its embassy in Budapest (Hungary) and through an honorary consulate in Zagreb.^[4] Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: list of bilateral treaties with Thailand
Denmark		See Denmark–Thailand relations
Finland		See Finland–Thailand relations
France		See France–Thailand relations
Greece	1958-05-26	The Greek Embassy in Bangkok was opened in November 1989. Thailand has an embassy in Athens.^[5] Greek Ministry of Foreign Affaires about relations with Thailand Thai deputy premier, UN sec. gen. candidate, meets with premier Karamanlis, FM
Hungary		See Hungary–Thailand relations
India		See India–Thailand relations
Indonesia		See Indonesia-Thailand relations
Israel	1954-06-23	See also History of the Jews in Thailand Since 1958, Israel has had an embassy in Bangkok.^[6] Since 1996, Thailand has had an embassy in Tel Aviv.^[7]
Italy		See Italy–Thailand relations
Japan		See Japan–Thailand relations
Laos		See Laos–Thailand relations
Malaysia		See Malaysia-Thailand relations
Romania		Romania has an embassy in Bangkok and an honorary consulate in Pattaya.^[8] Thailand has an embassy in Bucharest.^[9]
Russia		See Russia–Thailand relations
South Korea		See South Korea – Thailand relations
Ukraine	1992-05-06	See Thailand–Ukraine relations Thailand is represented in Ukraine through its embassy in Moscow (Russia).^[10] Ukraine has an embassy and an honorary consulate in Bangkok.^[11]
United States		See Thailand – United States relations