BANGKOK: A meeting at Government House last Friday between Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and 76 ambassadors, foreign consuls and heads of international organisations based in Thailand was more than a routine diplomatic reception.
It formed part of the proactive diplomacy policy previously announced by the government and efforts to remap Thailand’s economic standing.
Anutin has prioritised using foreign affairs as a tool to open doors to economic opportunities, technology, markets and investment.
The discussion agenda for the diplomatic representatives was consequently structured around nine regional groups so that each relationship could be developed to deliver tangible benefits.
“The government’s central priority is to bring Thailand back to the world’s attention as an open and trusted country and a regional hub within Asean amid geopolitical volatility, energy and food crises, and the reorganisation of global supply chains,” a source said.
The source said Asean was the first region where Thailand needed to re-establish its role.
Anutin has so far made official visits to five countries, namely the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, and is preparing to visit the Philippines, Brunei and Timor-Leste.
The government now sees the Middle East crisis as a warning that Asean must accelerate economic, energy, food and supply-chain integration.
At the same time, Thailand must co-ordinate closely with Singapore to ensure continuity across the Asean chairmanships in 2027 and 2028.
The source said Anutin’s government was using free trade agreements (FTAs) as a tool to put Thailand back on investors’ radar.
The government was accelerating work on FTAs between Thailand and the European Union, Canada and South Korea, pursuing access to new markets through Peru, Sri Lanka, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and Asean-Canada. — The Nation/ANN
