IOPS Chairman Sergey Stepashin met with a delegation from the Kingdom of Thailand

On July 5, 2022, at the invitation of the Chairman of the Society, Sergey Stepashin, the IOPS Center in Moscow was visited by a delegation from the Kingdom of Thailand, which is in Russia on an official visit.
Sergei Stepashin warmly welcomed the foreign guests. In his opening speech, the Chairman of the IOPS noted the traditional friendly nature of Russian-Thai relations and recalled their history, which began with the visit of King Rama V of Siam to the Russian Empire in 1897. The king arrived in our country at the invitation of his close friend Emperor Nicholas II. Their friendship began back in 1891, when Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich , together with the Greek Prince George and his retinue, visited Siam.

After 6 years, King Rama arrived in St. Petersburg. This visit is considered the beginning of Russian-Thai diplomatic relations and is truly of historical significance, since it was thanks to the agreements reached with the Russian monarch that our country was most actively involved in the process of political settlement around relations between France and Siam. Thanks to the involvement of Russia in the process, Siam was able to maintain its independence at that time and go its own way of development.

The memory of these events is still alive in Thai society. Many houses keep portraits of Rama V and Nicholas II. Both monarchs are highly revered in Thailand to this day.

 


Sergei Stepashin also noted that today Russia and Thailand have good business relations and a high level of trade ties. And of course, Thailand is one of the most attractive places on the planet for Russian tourists.

Sergei Stepashin recalled his experience of visiting Thailand in 2003 as Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. Then, according to the Chairman of the IOPS, this wonderful country and its citizens made a strong impression on him. He noted the beauty of the local nature, the amazing culture and history of the country, the famous Thai hospitality and friendliness.

The head of the Thai delegation Mrs. Nimnual Pyewtchonggam, professor of law at the Panyapivat Institute of Management (PIM), one of the leading universities in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia, sincerely thanked Sergey Stepashin for the invitation and noted the importance of the visit for herself and her friends to Russia, which they timed to the 125th anniversary of the visit of King Rama V to our country and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Thailand.

Professor Nim told the audience the story of her last visit to Russia at the end of 2021. At the invitation of the Tver branch of the IOPS and personally its leader Irina Aksyonova , she visited the famous Nilo-Stolobenskaya Hermitage Monastery, located on an island surrounded by the waters of the famous Lake Seliger. It was then that Mrs. Nim decided to convert to Orthodoxy. Later, on January 7, on Christmas Day, the sacrament of Baptism was performed by the Honorary Member of the IOPS Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky Ambrose . Since then, Nimnulal Pyewtchogngam has been visiting St. Nicholas Cathedral in Bangkok every Sunday, being his parishioner and providing all possible assistance.

Professor Nim expressed her desire to open a Representation of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in the Kingdom of Thailand and spoke briefly about possible projects that could be implemented on the territory of this country.

First of all, we are talking about the assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church in its spiritual and peacemaking service - in accordance with the main task of the IOPS in accordance with its Charter. It should be noted that today in Thailand there are 10 Orthodox churches, a monastery and a religious school.

At the same time, the plans of the IOPS Representative Office in Thailand include missionary activities, charity, the development of international relations between Russia and Thailand, and the strengthening of friendly ties between our peoples. Today, the Russian-speaking diaspora in Thailand has about 40,000 people.

Ms. Piewtchogngam also introduced her friends - representatives of various areas of Thai business, many of whom are in Russia for the first time, but have already fallen in love with our country.

Sergey Stepashin supported the idea of ​​creating an IOPS Representative Office in the Kingdom of Thailand. The issue of its establishment will be considered at the next meeting of the IOPS Council. The head of the Tver branch , Irina Aksyonova , partner and godmother of Mrs. Nim , who was present at the meeting, told Sergei Stepashin in detail about the program of the Thai delegation's stay in Russia: about planned and already held events and business negotiations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaluga and Tver regions. Sergei Stepashin welcomed the desire of the Thai guests to develop joint business with Russia and noted that now is the right time for this, when many Western companies have stopped working in our country.

At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged memorable gifts. Representatives of the Thai delegation presented their national symbol - two white porcelain elephants, which are considered sacred animals in Thailand and are associated with the country's key institutions - the nation, religion and the king.

In turn, Sergei Stepashin presented the guests with a porcelain plate with the image of St. George the Victorious, the name of the IOPS and the sign of the Society. The plate is made in the ancient Russian Gzhel technique, which is a traditional folk craft and deservedly considered one of the national symbols of Russia. The Thai guests were especially grateful for a color photograph of Emperor Nicholas II and King Rama V, which was also presented to them by Sergei Stepashin .

At the end of the official part of the meeting, Grigory Manevich , director of the Museum of the History of the IOPS , gave the guests a tour of the Museum of the IOPS and spoke in detail about the history of the oldest international public organization in Russia.

The meeting was also attended by Georgy Verenich , Deputy Chairman of the IOPS, Oleg Ozerov , Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Head of the IOPS International Section , Daniil Burdyga, IOPS Manager , Olga Aksyonova , Deputy Head of the IOPS Tver Branch, Vladimir Smolkin and Vitaly Davydenko , members of the IOPS Tver Branch .

source  : https://www.ippo.ru/news/article/predsedatel-ippo-sergey-stepashin-provel-vstrechu--409896