INTERVIEW: H.E. Alexander Mariyasov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Thailand

What are the most important historical links between Russia and Thailand, and how have they changed over time?     

Traditionally, we consider the most important to be the visit of King Chulalongkorn to Russia and his meeting with Emperor Nikolas II in 1897, which resulted in the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries. Next year we will be celebrating the 115th anniversary of this event. However, many meaningful contacts took place even earlier. In 1863 the first Russian navy ship anchored at Siam. Tsesarevich (Crown Prince) Nikolas visited Siam and met King Chulalongkorn for the first time in 1891.

More evidence of a close historical bond between our countries is, for example, the fact that King Chulalongkorn’s son Prince Chakrapong graduated from the General Staff’s Military Academy of the Russian Army. The prince was also married to a Russian lady, Ekaterina Desnitskaya.

Many people may not know that the music for the Thai Royal Anthem was written by Russian composer Peter Shchurovsky.

In modern times a significant bilateral event was the state visit, by the invitation of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, of Vladimir Putin to Thailand in 2003, when he participated in the APEC Summit in Bangkok and conducted negotiations with the Thai government. As you may know, a reciprocal visit was paid by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand on behalf of His Majesty the King in 2007. Many other members of the Royal family have also visited Russia.

How important is Thailand to Russia, and vice versa, in terms of bilateral trade, investment and tourism?

Thailand is the largest trade partner of Russia among ASEAN countries. Last year bilateral trade reached a record level of four billion USD. Russia is a big importer of Thai rice, seafood, fruits, automobile parts, and Thailand is interested in Russian oil and metal products.

In the investment sphere, the Thai company CPF actively operates in Russia in building feed mills and swine farms. These projects now total around 50 million USD. It presents a good example of cooperation and we hope that other Thai companies will follow. Several Russian-Thai joint ventures have been founded in Thailand and, of course, Thailand remains one of the most popular tourist destinations for Russians.

The speed up of these relations has caught many by surprise. Do you think they will continue at this rate, say, during the next ten years? And can the phenomenal growth in the number of Russian tourists be sustained?

I am confident that Russian-Thai relations, including trade and economic cooperation, will continue to be dynamically developed. There is a goal to increase the volume of bilateral trade up to six billion USD in the next few years. We see good prospects for widening our cooperation in the fields of science and technology, energy, outer space, agriculture, culture and education.

Tourism is of special importance. This is where the interests of Thailand, which gains substantial income, meet the interests of Russian tourists looking for high-quality tourist services. About 300,000 tourists from Russia visited Thailand in 2009. Last year the number exceeded 600,000. This year we expect further significant growth in arrivals. Russians are not scared of political turbulence or floods, as the situation in popular resorts usually remains normal. Moreover, air links between Thailand and several regions of Russia are well established.

The two countries’ government systems are different – but are they compatible?

I don’t see any problem here. Although Russia is a federative state with the president as the head, and Thailand is a unitary state and constitutional monarchy, both countries are democratic. The differences in government structure don’t affect the atmosphere of amicability and partnership in Russian-Thai relations. 

Our countries have regular political contacts, including at the highest levels. Inter-parliamentary and twin cities relations are actively developing. Moreover, our positions on most international and regional issues are close or corresponding. We successfully interact in a bilateral format as well as within the framework of international organizations. 

How many people, Russians and local staff, do you employ at the embassy?

The Diplomatic List of the Embassy contains more than thirty diplomats, including members of the Trade Representation and Military Attaché offices. It’s a medium size mission according to Russian practice. Of course, there is also administrative staff that provides technical maintenance of the Embassy. Ten or fewer Thai staff also work at the Embassy. They are rather helpful in solving many practical issues during our stay in Thailand. 

The rising number of tourists naturally causes more problems for us to solve. The most important thing for us is to see that they are reliably secure, both physically and financially. The Embassy is always ready, especially in high-season, to help Russians. Our honorary consuls in Pattaya and Phuket provide meaningful support in this area.

How many Russians do you estimate live in Thailand?

According to our estimation, there are tens of thousands of Russians living in Thailand on a more or less permanent basis. Most of them are involved in tourism, but some are working in other business areas.

Are you pleased with the way the old Russian embassy on Sathorn Road has been preserved and renovated? Will you celebrate its re-opening?

Please note that neither the old embassy building nor the land it sits on is Russian property. But yes, the building has been included on the register of historic buildings of Bangkok and it is currently being renovated. I think that we will find an appropriate way to celebrate the completion of the renovation.

How do you see Russia’s future relations with Thailand and ASEAN? Are you natural partners?

Relations between Russia and Thailand in both bilateral and multilateral formats have great potential and we intend to develop them further. I would like to draw your attention to the Russia-ASEAN dialogue partnership. This year we are celebrating its 15th anniversary. During these years our cooperation has significantly strengthened. The second Russia-ASEAN Summit was held in 2010. 

Cooperation with ASEAN is also important for us because it contributes to the modernization of Siberian and Far Eastern territories of Russia and their integration into the Asia-Pacific region. This also applies to other regional cooperation mechanisms, where Russia participates together with Thailand, such as East Asia Summit, Asia-Europe Meeting, Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting with Dialogue Partners, Asia Cooperation Dialogue and, of course, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. 

Russia will host the APEC summit in 2012 and we count on reliable support from our ASEAN partners, including Thailand.

This is a simple but at the same time a complicated question. Russia is the largest country in the world, situated across both the European and Asian continents. And two thirds of our territory is in Asia. We have our own vital interests both in Europe and Asia. Just look at our state coat of arms. One head of the heraldic eagle looks to the West, the other to the East.

It should be taken into account that Russia is a multicultural and multiethnic state. Caucasians, Asians, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and followers of other religions all live in our country. Being on the junction of cultures for centuries, Russia has worked out a unique experience. We strive for a wide cooperation in order to develop an inter-civilization dialogue, and promote peace and stability on the regional level and in the world as a whole. We proceed from the idea that the historical role of Russia is to reliably bridge European and Asian civilizations. People of our country, no matter which part of it they may live in, feel and call themselves Russians.

Which direction (East or West) is the Russian government looking these days in terms of building relations?

Of course, both West and East are important to us. A characteristic feature of the modern foreign policy of Russia is its balanced and multi-vector attitude.

This is determined by Russia’s geopolitical position as a major Eurasian power, its status as one of the leading states in the world and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

How are your relations with China, the US and Europe?

As I have already said, our aim is to develop cooperation in all directions, including with the key players in the region and in the world. Relations with the US, China, Europe are equally important not only in terms of bilateral cooperation, but also in the context of solving global peace and security issues.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited China in the middle of October. The outcome of his visit indicates progressive development of the comprehensive strategic partnership which corresponds to fundamental interests of both our countries and peoples. We jointly set the task to create new architecture of security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. This is in tune with interests of all countries in the region, and the whole world as well. 

At the same time the main goal of Russian foreign policy on the European front is to create an open, democratic system of regional collective security and cooperation. In building relations with the US we take into account not only their substantial economic potential, but also a key importance of these relations for global strategic stability and international security in general.