A visit to Thailand  next year by a high-level delegation from Slovakia is expected to boost their country’s relationship with Thailand, according to the Slovak ambassador to Bangkok.

In a recent interview with Thai PBS World, Slovak Ambassador Jaroslav Auxt said the Slovak-Thai relationship is multi-faceted and Slovakia sees great potential in cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of information technology and artificial intelligence.

He said Slovakia hopes to build on the bilateral ties, which last year saw $39.93 million worth of exports from Slovakia to Thailand.

“The automotive industry stands out in both countries, but opportunities lie in other sectors as well, including industrial components and research and development. Slovakia’s expertise in IT presents an avenue for growth in Thailand,” Ambassador Auxt said.

Given the importance of educational cooperation, the ambassador underscored the need for increased collaboration between universities in Slovakia and Thailand, including in the area of exchanging students and academics.

The Slovak ambassador also touched on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the raging war in Ukraine.

On the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, he called on Israel to abide by international human rights standards, while also condemning the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th as an act of terrorism.

“Certainly, I condemn the terrorist attack. It was not a military attack, but a terrorist attack, because Hamas did not attack Israel’s military, but they attacked civilians. It was an act of terrorism. In this sense, Israel has the full right to self-defence, but that should be within humanitarian rules. It should be directed against the terrorists, which is Hamas. We should distinguish between the Hamas organisation and the Palestinian people,” Ambassador Auxt said.

On the war in Ukraine, Ambassador Auxt reiterated Slovakia’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.

By Franc Han Shih, Thai PBS World