"Anutin" issues joint statement with "Anthony Albanese" following full plenary talks in Canberra, reaffirming commitment to deepening and making concrete the Thailand-Australia Strategic Partnership, advancing cooperation across four areas — security; trade and investment; innovation; people-to-people relations; and multilateral affairs — while joining hands to combat transnational crime. The Australian leader also accepted an invitation for an official visit to Thailand next year.
Today (Wednesday, 19 August 2026) at 10:45 a.m. local Canberra time, at the Australian Parliament House, Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and The Honourable Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, held a joint press conference following the full plenary talks. The Thai delegation comprised the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Culture, and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, while the Australian delegation comprised the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence, the Minister for Science, the Minister for Trade and Tourism, and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy.
Following the press conference, Ms. Rachada Thanadirek, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the Thai Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to driving the Thailand-Australia Strategic Partnership toward greater closeness and tangible results, in order to jointly address shared challenges and generate benefits for the people of both countries.
The Prime Minister stated that this visit marks the first official visit to Australia by a Thai Prime Minister in 14 years, and takes place at a significant moment ahead of Thailand and Australia jointly celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year — a major milestone in bilateral relations.
Thailand and Australia elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2020 and have continued to develop cooperation ever since. The discussions on this occasion covered four key areas in which both countries share mutual interests.
The first area is politics and security. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, particularly transnational crime, making use of existing mechanisms and developing new forms of cooperation capable of keeping pace with threats that are complex and rapidly evolving.
The second area is economics, trade, and innovation. Both sides recognised the importance of strengthening economic connectivity amid shifting geopolitical and geo-economic landscapes, with plans to expand two-way trade and investment while promoting cooperation in high-potential industries and innovation, in order to build resilience and create shared prosperity.
The third area is culture and people-to-people relations. Both countries will promote future-ready skills through cooperation in education, innovation, and capacity development. The Prime Minister commended the role of the Thai community, which makes a significant contribution to Australian society, while Thailand also remains a key destination for Australian tourists — a reflection of the strong people-to-people bonds between the two nations.
The fourth area is regional and multilateral cooperation. Thailand and Australia will work together through the frameworks of ASEAN, ACMECS, the Mekong-Australia Partnership, and other relevant frameworks. The Prime Minister also thanked Australia for its continued support of Thailand's accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Prime Minister stated that the discussions led to concrete outcomes, with both sides welcoming the conclusion of two important documents to drive the Strategic Partnership in its next phase.
The first is the Joint Statement on Transnational Crime, which elevates cooperation on the prevention and suppression of online crime, online fraud, human trafficking, narcotics, and money laundering at the bilateral, regional, and global levels, in order to counter cross-border threats that directly affect the safety of citizens.
The second is the Leaders' Statement on Deepening Economic Engagement, which aims to maximise the benefits of the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), expand trade and investment in key sectors, support a rules-based multilateral trading system, and strengthen the economic security of both countries.
In addition, both sides welcomed a Letter of Intent between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to further advance cooperation in science, research, and innovation.
On security, the Prime Minister welcomed Australia's proposal to hold a Biennial Defence Ministers' Meeting between Thailand and Australia to elevate defence cooperation and support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The defence ministries of both countries will move quickly to coordinate the establishment of this mechanism.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the Strategic Partnership will serve as an important foundation for Thailand-Australia relations going forward, helping to open new opportunities in economics, security, innovation, and people-to-people relations, and bringing the two countries ever closer together.
In closing, the Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Albanese, the Australian government, and the Australian people for their warm welcome, and reaffirmed that Thailand is ready to work closely with Australia to advance the Strategic Partnership and deliver tangible benefits for the people of both countries as they step into the 75th year of Thailand-Australia diplomatic relations.
On this occasion, the Australian Prime Minister expressed his readiness to deepen cooperation with Thailand across all areas, particularly in the prevention and suppression of transnational crime and in economic cooperation. He also expressed appreciation that the Thai Prime Minister had brought a Thai private-sector delegation on this visit to Australia. Furthermore, the Australian Prime Minister accepted the invitation to pay an official visit to Thailand next year.
