Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your warm welcome. It’s great to be here in Bangkok. And let me thank you again for visiting the Pentagon last month while you were in Washington for the ASEAN Special Summit. It was great to have you sir.
I wanted to be here today because the alliance between the United States and Thailand is critical to our collective security. It’s rooted in our strong people-to-people ties. And that includes our soldier-to-soldier ties as well. As I noted when we met a few weeks ago, we deeply value our work together with Thailand to address our shared security challenges.
You know Mr. Prime Minister, COVID-19 has shown us yet again how important it is for partners and allies to come together in times of crisis. And the lessons that we have learned during the pandemic can help the United States and Thailand prepare for the full range of security challenges in Southeast Asia.
Now, we’ll continue to build interoperability by training and exercising together across a range of capabilities, from maritime security to deterrence to military medicine. And we’re also expanding our cooperation in new domains, including space and cyberspace. I’m looking forward to discussing these opportunities and identifying ways to expand our work together in these emerging domains.
And I’m looking forward to sharing our perspectives on pressing regional issues, including the growing tensions in the South China Sea. So Mr. Prime Minister, again, thanks for being such a tremendous host, it’s good to be with you here today. Thank you again for your gracious hospitality.