June 19, 2020
Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper's Phone Call With Thailand Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Prayut Chan-o-cha

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper spoke with his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Prayut Chan-o-cha, on the phone today to discuss key bilateral issues within the Alliance. Secretary Esper thanked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government for their leadership in responding to COVID-19 and offered continued assistance from the United States. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha conveyed his government's gratitude to the United States for its support, which has been led by the United States Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Response, and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science.

Secretary Esper and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha discussed bilateral defense efforts to implement the U.S.-Thailand Joint Vision Statement 2020, which the two leaders signed during a bilateral meeting in Bangkok in November. They agreed to focus implementation on military force modernization, professional military education enhancement, and promoting interoperability between the U.S. and Thai militaries.

Secretary Esper and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha agreed that the two countries will remain "shoulder-to-shoulder" and will look for ways to continue building our defense relationship, and the strong partnership between our two countries, in the coming year.

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