Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand)
| กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ | |
"The Seal of the Crystal Lotus"
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| Ministry overview | |
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| Formed | 14 April 1840 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Thailand |
| Headquarters | Sri Ayutthaya Building, 443 Sri Ayutthaya Rd, Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400 |
| Annual budget | 7.9 billion baht (2012) |
| Minister responsible |
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| Ministry executive |
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| Website | www.mfa.go.th |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thai: กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ; rtgs: Krasuang Kan Tang Prathet; Abrv: MFA) is the principal governmental department in charge of foreign relations in Thailand. The ministry is headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is also a member of the Cabinet of Thailand. He is appointed by the prime minister. The ministry is charged with formulating and executing foreign policies for the Kingdom of Thailand. The ministry manages and maintains Thai diplomatic missions around the globe.
Prior to the creation of the ministry, much of the country's foreign relations were handled by the absolute monarchs of the day. During the Kingdom of Ayutthaya foreign relations were handled by the "Krom Phra Khlang" (Thai: กรมพระคลัง) (or the Treasury Department). The head of the department was known as "Phra Khlang" (Thai: พระคลัง) and occasionally referred to as "Berguelang" or "Barcelon" by foreign authors. The famous 17th-century Siamese ambassador to France Kosa Pan was the younger brother of King Narai's "Phra Khlang" Kosathibodi. Soon after, a sub-department called "Kromma Tha" (Thai: กรมท่า, "Port Department") was created to deal with foreigners.
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