THE UNITED States yesterday emphasised that its partnership with Thailand would grow stronger when elected governance returned to the Kingdom, as reaffirmed by the Thai prime minister.

US Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies said that “with a strengthened, sustainable democratic system, Thailand’s regional leadership role, and our alliance, can reach its full potential”.

The ambassador was speaking at the opening ceremony of Cobra Gold 2016, the largest multilateral military exercise in Asia-Pacific, which kicked off at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri province yesterday.

The drill, which runs until February 19, is being attended by 27 countries.

Cobra Gold has been held annually in Thailand for decades, but the US scaled it down following the coup in May 2014.

General Prayut Chan-o-cha, now prime minister, was the leader of the coup.

“As in 2015 when the exercise was significantly refocused and scaled down in light of the military coup, in 2016 it will remain somewhat reduced in size … to reflect US concerns about Thailand’s political developments,” Davies told reporters.

“Diplomatic ties are not on hold with Thailand. Certainly the military ties are not on hold with Thailand,” he stressed.

Davies described Cobra Gold as a symbol of the commitment of over two dozen nations to work together to preserve peace and stability in one of the world’s most important and dynamic regions.

This year’s exercise is the first to be attended by the ambassador, who took up his post in Bangkok in October last year.

He said he was proud to be attending the exercise to state and to demonstrate America’s unshakeable, longstanding commitment to the region.

“That commitment is strong and enduring, including here in Thailand, where it transcends any temporary challenges that arise in our partnership,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Washington Times recently ran an article in which US President Barack Obama was sharply criticised over his invitation to Prayut to attend the US-Asean Summit in California.

The article said human-rights activists and Thai opposition party leaders had criticised Obama’s decision to include Prayut, head of the junta that seized power two years ago, in the summit between US and Southeast Asian leaders.

They warned that he would display the invitation as Washington’s endorsement of the military regime.

The US has been loath to cut ties with Bangkok despite the coup, seeing Thailand as a key non-Nato ally in a region where China has made major economic and diplomatic inroads in recent years.

The 10 Asean leaders will gather at Obama’s invitation on February 15-16 at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California.

“The regime is starved of international recognition, and this invitation might be perceived by both the government’s supporters and opponents as one more step toward greater international acceptance,” said David Streckfuss, a respected commentator and historian of Thai politics.

John Sifton, Asia policy director of Washington-based Human Rights Watch, said his group had been rebuffed when it pressed the Obama administration to rescind the invitations for Prayut and long-time Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who the group said had held on to power for 30 years by repressing political dissent.

The White House “responded by citing the principle of Asean unity, arguing that if they disinvited any of the leaders, the rest would not come”, Sifton said in an e-mail interview this week, according to the Washington Times article.