At the invitation of H.E. Mr. Apichart Chinwanno, Royal Thai Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission to the European Union, Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya participated in the opening ceremony of the ‘Essence of Thailand VIII’ event which was held in Brussels on Sunday 8 September 2013. The Ambassador officially opened this annual event to promote cultural exchanges between Thailand and Belgium, encouraging the Belgian public to sample his country’s cultural and culinary offerings during the course of the day. The Ambassador and his staff were keen to promote the friendship prevailing between Thailand and Belgium, with Royal Thai Customs playing a key role by displaying its Customs mascots as an invitation to visit Thailand.