Thai and Omani bridge builders

On the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Sultanate of Oman, last week, the Royal Thai Embassy in Muscat and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman convened a workshop that transcended mere commemoration. It became a working session on how two middle-power nations, distant in geography but close in outlook, can turn shared principles — dialogue, moderation, and trust — into practical pathways for peace and stability.

- Pisanu Suvanajata

Diplomats, scholars, and officials from across Omani institutions joined the dialogue, trading lessons and perspectives. The workshop revealed that Thailand and Oman may walk different paths, but both consistently choose "bridges over walls".

Thailand's foreign policy rests on peaceful coexistence, balance, and dialogue. Its record in peace diplomacy is tangible. Along its 2,400-kilometre border with Myanmar, Bangkok has combined "quiet diplomacy" with "humanitarian diplomacy, encouraging dialogue and contributing to the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Even when isolation seemed easier, Thailand sustained engagement.

As Myanmar's immediate neighbour, Thailand pursues three tracks: bilateral management of cross-border realities with Nay Pyi Taw; support for Asean's Five-Point Consensus and humanitarian delivery through the AHA Centre; and informal consultations among neighbouring countries, held in New Delhi, Sea, efforts to address ethnic conflict in Rakhine State, and support for inclusive dialogue in Myanmar. The APRC also stands ready to assist with Thailand-Cambodia border issues. Quiet success rarely makes headlines; preventing escalation often looks like nothing happened. But that is exactly the point of Track II diplomacy.

Oman, renowned for the maxim "friend to all, enemy to none," brings a complementary tradition of principled mediation in a volatile neighbourhood. Recent engagement by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik with UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored Oman's constructive role in Yemen and support for channels of communication with Iran - further evidence of Muscat's steady hand in regional deescalation.