On 27 August 2021, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK), on the occasion of the latter’s official visit to Thailand at Buakaew Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting addressed how the two sides could further strengthen the strategic partnership between Thailand and the ROK and enhance cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels in alignment with respective national development strategies, changing political and international landscapes as well as impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK were pleased with the close strategic partnership between Thailand and the ROK and agreed to develop a Joint Action Plan to further strengthen the partnership on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2022. In this regard, they instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries to convene the 4th Policy Consultation at the Permanent Secretary level to discuss this matter.
Both sides discussed the COVID-19 situation and shared the view on the importance of strengthening health cooperation by expediting the conclusion of the draft Agreement on health cooperation and the convening the 2+2 Dialogue on Health Security between Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Public Health of the two countries, as well as promoting vaccine cooperation.
On economic cooperation, both sides were pleased that Thailand and the ROK were able to maintain the level of bilateral trade at 11.9 billion USD in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed that both sides explore avenues to further promote bilateral trade. They were also pleased that the ROK was ranked as the leading foreign investor in Thailand in the first quarter of this year. The Thai side invited the ROK to increase investment in various sectors, especially in future industries, infrastructure projects, smart cities, SMEs and Startups, in which the ROK side expressed interest.
Both sides agreed to synergise the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model of Thailand and the Green New Deal policy of the ROK to enhance partnership on green economy with an aim to achieve shared goals on balanced and sustainable growth. The ROK side expressed the readiness to support Thailand as APEC host in 2022, during which the BCG Economy Model will also be promoted. In addition, both sides reaffirmed the commitment to enhancing cooperation on consular matters, culture and people-to-people relations, as well as to address the issue of Thai undocumented workers in the ROK.
Moreover, both sides discussed cooperation in the Mekong-ROK and ASEAN frameworks and exchanged views on regional situations of mutual interests, including supporting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the provision of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.
After the bilateral meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK adopted the Joint Press Statement on Official Visit to Thailand by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK, reflecting the key outcomes of their discussion.
During the official visit to Thailand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister of Thailand at the Government House.