The Kingdom of Thailand's new Ambassador to Samoa, Waravuth Pouapiny presented his credentials to the Head of State of Samoa on Wednesday. 

Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II received the Thai diplomat in a formal ceremony held on Wednesday with Mr. Pouapinya in his remarks highlighting the friendly relations both countries have continued to maintain since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1978. 

He expressed the Thailand government's eagerness to enhance relations through opportunities for further cooperation in the areas of agriculture, technology and tourism.

The shared values and common aspirations that unite the two countries, according to the Thai diplomat, underline the potential for mutually beneficial collaboration in the near future.

The Head of State congratulated Mr. Pouapinya on his appointment as the new Ambassador of Thailand to Samoa and pointed out that this year marked the 45th anniversary of formal relations between the two countries, which he said was a milestone of mutual friendship between the two nations.

He also acknowledged the cooperation between both countries in the areas of sustainable development, climate change resilience, education and people-to-people exchanges. The exchange came through the annual international training courses provided by the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency which has played a major role in Samoa's capacity building. 

The Head of State also expressed his confidence in the potential to expand into other avenues of cooperation and that the appointment of the new Ambassador will yield more opportunities to further relations between Samoa and Thailand.

Mr. Pouapinya is a career diplomat and served in various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand since joining the service in 1987. From 1993 to 1994, he served as the Third Secretary and later as the Second Secretary at the Thai Embassy in London. He continued his extensive career in the Ministry serving in a number of positions in the Department of East Asian Affairs, Department of European Affairs, Political Division, Department of International Organizations and the Office of the Permanent Secretary. 

In 2009, he served abroad at the Thai Embassy in Tokyo as Minister-Counsellor then served as Bureau Chief at the Asset Procurement and Management Bureau in 2014 and Assistant Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Permanent Secretary in 2015. He was appointed Ambassador of Thailand to the United Arab Emirates in 2018 and in 2022 became the Ambassador of Thailand to New Zealand with accreditation to Samoa, Cook Island and Niue.