Dedicated to diplomacy

Yvonne Bohwongprasert, bangkokpost.com

Austrian Ambassador Enno Drofenik on his duties in Thailand

Drofenik image from article

Excerpt:

Austrian Ambassador Enno Drofenik finds Thailand's friendly and welcoming people, rich cultural heritage and traditions the most attractive qualities about the country that has made his stay, so far, most memorable.

Completing the second year of his posting, the Austrian envoy is in charge of not just Thailand but Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. ...

Drofenik, a composed amiable personality, spoke candidly about his job-related responsibilities that largely entails looking after the welfare of Austrians in Thailand and the aforementioned countries, plus strengthening stronger bilateral ties with the host country.

"There is a lot of consular work that needs to be done with thousands of [Austrian] tourists visiting Thailand each year. I have to also look after Austrians that reside in Thailand, we have 700 that have registered with the embassy, but there could be about 3,000. We have to also keep this expat community informed about the latest developments when a crisis arises," said the emissary.

"We have a bustling business community that employs thousands of locals in Thailand. It is our priority to look after the business interest of these Austrian companies. Besides this, we also engage in public diplomacy, for example we organised the Vienna Ball Bangkok this past May that showcased our music history.

"Promoting tourism to Austria is another priority we engage in because as I like to say the best Austrian embassy is where happy tourists return home to share their happy experiences with their friends."