On 24 September 2020, Mr. Witchu Vejjajiva, Director-General of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs convened a meeting with the Ambassadors of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) from nine countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru at the Pacific City Club.

The Director-General informed the GRULAC Ambassadors that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attached importance to strengthening relations and deepening economic cooperation, especially trade and investment, with Latin America and the Caribbean region. In this regard, during the previous fiscal year, the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs organised several meetings with the Thai-Latin American Business Council to seek views and recommendations from Thai businessmen doing business in Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

On this occasion, the Director-General shared the Ministry’s plans for 2021 to organise a Seminar on Opportunities and Challenges in Doing Business in Latin America and the Caribbean, which have been postponed from March 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreaks. In collaboration with the GRULAC Ambassadors, the Seminar will disseminate information useful for Thai private sector on (1) potential products, business and investment sectors; (2) procedures, rules and regulations for doing business in Latin America and the Caribbean; and (3) partnerships with potential and reliable local businesses. Additionally, the Ministry will update information on Discover Latin America mobile application with inputs from the GRULAC Embassies.

The GRULAC Ambassadors welcomed and supported the plan to organise the Seminar. They also provided recommendations on potential areas of businesses and cooperation, namely (1) energy and renewable energy; (2) infrastructure, including shipping and freight system; (3) agri-tech and food; (4) public health; (5) tourism and culture; (6) SMEs and e-commerce; and (7) biotechnology. The GRULAC Ambassadors, moreover, congratulated Thailand for her success in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its health related activities, including the briefing for GRULAC Ambassadors which was organised by the Ministry last September to disseminate know-how on the production of mobile ventilator and other medical equipment as public goods to increase accessibility by other countries.