[Angola] Outreach to Thailand

[Tano]

In an diplomatic outreach, Deputy Foreign Minister Augusto Gonçalves dos Santos would place a telephone call to the Thai Foreign Ministry in the hopes of developing greater political and economic ties. The call would be over a secured and encrypted line. He dialled the number and waited for a response as it rang. Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

Because the Thai Foreign Ministry is quite busy and cannot generally reply to a phone call from such a remote location due to time zone differences, the Thai ambassador to Angola, (Mr) Chainawoot Nitaya, will take the call. He is shocked that his phone finally rang because he rarely receives calls to himself. While finishing the strange yet fascinating snake game on his phone, he prepares to be formal. Then, after placing his fingerprint on the scanner, he picks up the phone and puts it next to his ear. "Hello? you are speaking with Chainawoot Nitaya, Thai ambassador to Angola."

Tano

 

[Tano]

"Good afternoon Ambassador. I hope you're well? I'm Augusto Gonçalves dos Santos, the Deputy Foreign Minister, calling on behalf of the Angolan Foreign Ministry. We're wanting to talk to you regarding the enhancement of trade and political relations with your state. Is this an appropriate time for you to discuss this?"

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"Ohhh! Mr. Augusto, good afternoon. It's always a joy to hear from Angola's Foreign Ministry, especially on diplomatic matters. Thailand is eager to discuss potential economic opportunities with Angola. I want to learn more about how we might collaborate to better our relationship and commerce. Thailand has been concentrating on internal affairs, and this is our plan, which involves a more diplomatic approach toward adjacent and nearby countries. I will still consider deals that benefit Thailand and our people. We can work together to provide relief to our citizens for the tax they have paid us."

Tano

 

[Tano]

"Ah, I'm glad to hear that you're very receptive to progressing relations. The primary subjects we wish to discuss in regards to commerce links is trade routes and the movement of people between Angola and Thailand.

Currently, Angola and Thailand a both regional economic powers with much to offer in terms of demand and supply, yet there exists no current trade agreements thus bilateral trade is left to the very ineffective and limited private market. I see that some of the goods we specialise in can find adequate uses in our respective markets. My nation's most popular exported resources include mineral fuels (petroleum, gases & crude oil), gems and precious metals, fish, sulphur, copper. I believe that your nation may find at least a couple of these products desirable for import.
My government especially wishes to encourage the export of oil products internationally as we're expected to rapidly increase oil production in the foreseeable future to become the de facto leader of the oil exporting world. Given that Thailand is currently embroiled in a complicated situation in your region, the demand and price for oil in your nation in both the commercial and military sector must certainly be climbing at an alarming rate for your economy. The security of Angolan oil imports will certainly stabilise your economy in during this issue and calm your internal situation. What is your opinion on this matter?"

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"I appreciate the compliment," He laughs. "Thailand would undoubtedly support the establishment of trade routes so that our domestic manufacturers may have access to a broader market. Thailand is the Southeast Asian commerce hub in the regional logistic infrastructure that we have been constructing. We recently upgraded all of the railways in the country with the new construction we have completed, expanding our railways into a two-track system. We have developed most of our airports and port with improved technology to accommodate the rising usage. I did some research on the leading exports from Angola. We discover at least one of these goods we are interested in importing. These goods are in high demand for export from Thailand: machinery, including computers and electrical equipment; equipment; rubber; rubber products; and plastics; plastic products. Since Thailand is still in the middle of contract negotiations with our partner to acquire more ships, it depends on how many commercial vessels Angola has. The delightful news for Angolans is that their government finds an advantage in the country's abundant oil supply. We will always enjoy doing business with the world's largest oil importer. Thailand's economy has slowed down from the war with Laos and continues to recover. Our nation's unemployment rate has increased, and we are working hard to reduce it. Instability in a region is never good and never advantageous to anyone. Additionally, I want to know how Angola can help us in our trading vessel's absence.

Tano

 

[Tano]

"Perfect! Which is it you're interested in?

From the list you've stated, we are interested in importing machinery, electrical equipment/machinery, and rubber/rubber products. Fortunately we do operate a sizeable merchant fleet with enough vessels on standby to operate an Angola-Thailand trade route. Thus, we are willing to handle this trade and all we need is from you is the finalisation of traded goods, Port of destination and preferred frequency of said trade."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"That's wonderful that Angola has a commercial vessel fleet to support our trade routes. I have been looking at your export list and find that Mineral Fuel and Copper will be the best for us. We are looking for two way trip for the machinery, and electrical equipment/machinery, to exchange with what we demand. We will be open to exporting rubber/rubber products to Angola. How often should this route be? I suggest that bi-weekly is an excellent idea based on our distance between each other." Ambassador Chainawoot would let the Angolan Deputy Minister answers back before he continued.

"Speaking more than trade, I want to know current Angola focus and policy on an international stage."

Tano

 

[Tano]

"I agree, a bi-weekly shipment should be most suitable. Am I correct to assume that the Port of Bangkok will handle the trade from your side?"

"Ah yes interesting question. Since the Civil War, our policy is best described as that of neutrality and political non-belligerence in external conflicts. See, there are many sources of tensions and ongoing conflicts across the globe with many nations participating either directly or indirectly. We have to pick our battles wisely, and after a 25 year Civil War, we can not afford the liberty to be involved in another's situation. Though we will not remain silent on global issues if the matter calls for it. Thus, our international approach currently is to develop Angola's diplomatic network, enhance cooperation and expand economic trade with partners abroad."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"Laem Chabang will handle everything." It is our largest port, and we have lately maximized our Bangkok Port. It is currently one of Asia's busiest ports."

"We've heard about Angola's civil conflict since you gained independence from the Portuguese. Your country's stability appears to have improved, but from what I've seen on social media, Angola and other African countries remain extreme. My country and I are staunch supporters of free speech, which includes hate speech, but I believe you must keep your population mentally at a high development level since it can damage international ties. Africa must unify; Sweden is the only European country that has returned to the continent. I don't want to say anything harsh about them because they rarely do such things and are our ally, but colonialism may still be a concern on this continent. Particularly since the United Coalition War in the Middle East, the globe has begun falling back into the trap of roaring tension. We believe that the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden are on the same page regarding the global peace order. Our intelligence indicates an American presence in London, which is fantastic if they can get together. I must also admit that our Foreign Minister has fallen into the trap. He decided to bring back the topic of the Temple of Preah Vihear, which Thailand and Cambodia have been placating about for the last 40 years. It looks like Cambodia also doesn't want to play the silence game anymore. But, those subjects are not what you need to worry about, and they will remain inside Southeast Asia politics.

In today's world, I respect your stance and Angolan foreign policy. Your neutrality and political non-belligerence can be a wise decision, but it also makes your country a target in a tense circumstance. We don't know if you, Mr. Deputy Foreign Minister, are aware of the current world situation, but I feel it is simple to define. China is tough on most Asian countries, and it appears they want to maintain their tense relationship with Taiwan, the Republic of China. They are in favor of Turkey's genocide of minorities. Russia and Japan have joined forces to form a bulwark against China, officially recognizing Taiwan. I can't claim Thailand is neutral because China has threatened us in the past, but I would advise Angola to keep a careful eye on their policy toward China." Ambassador Chainawoot pauses to look at the clock in his room and opens his cell phone to check the message.

"I want to know if you have anything to question me, and we can discuss our relationship other than economic ties. I assume you also prefer political ties?"

Tano

 

[Tano]

"In that case we will arrange for the trade to occur between Luanda and Laem Chabang. My department will make preparations immediately to facilitate the trade as soon as possible."

"I must admit I'm unaware of what you're referring to with social media and this Angolan-African rift that's developed from it. Social media has very low usage rates in Angola compared to the rest of the world and it's also not regulated, so as a government, we don't monitor it's activities. Thus I can assure you social media is not reflective of our national attitudes nor policies. But what I will say on the subject is that we're certainly not prepared to impose on free speech, whether it be on social media or other platforms, to serve short-term diplomatic goals."

"That said I am rather caught on what you're referring to on our international ties and opinions with other African countries, so I just want to clarify that from our perspective. On a continental level, it's fair to say that only 3 other states are internationally active in Africa: Nigeria, Ethiopia and Congo. Our relationship with Nigeria is neutral but friendly towards them, Ethiopia is the same and shows great promise of improvement so far. The Congo is the only country in Africa we are not on good terms with and have concerns about, and that is only because during a closed summit, their emperor demanded military access into Angola's territory and shouted war threats when we declined....hmmm, yes, that summit did not turn out as we expected; we went there wanting to forge friendships, just for them to demand Angola become their pawn in their global strategy.
I absolutely agree with you that Africa should seek greater unity. That is something we have and will continue to advocate."

"I understand your perspective and concerns, but I must argue that our international stance does not make us a target at all, quite the opposite in fact. And if we do become a target, we will neither the instigators nor aggressor in such situation, though we will insure that we are prepared for any situation we may face.
Whilst we share concern with events occurring in the Asia Pacific region and will remain watchful of the course the events will take, no situation includes us or our welfare thus we will not interfere under current circumstances."

"I'm unsure what you would class as 'political' ties, but yes we would like to discuss further topics:
I would like to propose the twinning of cities to facilitate greater cooperation and cultural exchange. We would like to twin the city of Viana, Luanda to a city of your choosing. For the twinning to work, we would expect the local governments of the cities to manage the program.

We also wish to propose the founding of a Joint Energy Forum to allow for greater cooperation between energy producers and researchers in Angola and Thailand.

Finally, inspired by your initiative with the United Kingdom, we wish to negotiate a student exchange program on behalf of our newest university, Angolan National University for International Studies. We propose this program to exist between Angolan National University for International Studies and Chulalongkorn University to allow up to 40 enrolled students per academic year to study at the other respective university for a duration of 6 month to 1 year. This will share extensive knowledge and cultural understanding long-term. In conjunction with this, we also want to ease student visa restrictions for prospective students from Thailand to encourage full-degree enrolment at Angolan Universities.

What are your opinions on these?"

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"I appreciate your explanation of the current social media situation in Angola. It's a new subject that we've been dealing with for nearly six years. Our country only recently regulated social media a year ago. It still amazes us how many underdeveloped people in Angola have access to it, but we trust you on this subject. We have diplomatic ties with all currently active Africans, and you may be disappointed to learn that Congo is also our international ally, alongside Mexico, Sweden, and Vietnam. I'd like to know more specifics about that summit. Thailand and Sweden have been monitoring Congo for over a year. We'd appreciate it if you could share the previous threat with us. We can deal with it. We suspect that the Congo is the source of terrorism to Sweden, and as an ally, we pursue a policy of peace and stability. If you wish, Thailand can offer to host a summit for all African nations. We believe that using an intermediary will be beneficial to all

For the twin cities, I believe it can be a great cultural exchange for our nations. We can hold an event for the Thai-Angolan that will include the culture from both countries, and learn more about it. Thailand can offer the city of Nakhon Ratchasima for Viana, and Bangkok for Luanda.

The energy forum will be fantastic. I can tell that you share this country's progressive values. Thailand is currently going through a phase of energy development. We plan to increase the ratio of renewable energy to final energy from 13 to 32 by 2004 and reduce the percentage of using natural gas in electricity production from 67 to 34 by the same year. We have recently regulated the new Building Energy Code for new buildings and energy efficiency standards for energy producers and distributors. With the help of feed-in tariffs, we have been funding a campaign to encourage the private sector to research and develop energy-saving and energy-optimizing technologies. I only covered a small portion of what we have in the plan.

I have heard about your new university. We admire that Angola will finally About your new university, I've heard. We commend Angola for finally intensifying its emphasis on education. If we can expand it to Angola, we will be glad. I have to be honest and say that we require confirmation that Angolan National University for International Studies will meet the high standards set by our students. I must admit that most Thai students won't choose to study abroad in Angola. I'm hoping that is now a thing of the past. The best university in Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, has the highest entrance exam scores across all fields when compared to all other universities in Thailand. Only Kasetsart University can defeat them in Agriculture subject. Angolan students will have a difficult time getting their exchange program at such a university because it is the most competitive in Thailand. Angola will have to pay for every cost that the Angolan student will have to spend. We must require Angolan students to take the same entrance exams as Thai students.

I'm curious if this is suitable for you."

Tano