On 30 November 2018, Mr. Damrong Kraikruan, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, and Mr. Patricio Torres, Secretary General of Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, co-chaired the 5th Meeting of Political Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile in Santiago, Chile. Also in attendance as part of the Thai delegation were the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Republic of Chile in Santiago, representatives from the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs and Thailand International Cooperation Agency.

          The Meeting further enhanced the dynamism of Thai - Chilean bilateral relations and expanded concrete cooperation in fields of mutual benefits. It was also an opportunity for both sides to learn about regional developments on matters concerning Thailand as an incoming Chair of ASEAN and Chile as an incoming Host of APEC in 2019. In this connection, the two sides expressed their determination to work together in response to the potential and challenges within their respective regions of Southeast Asia and Latin America under the current political and economic context.

          Subsequently, both sides agreed to further utilize and deepen cooperation under the Thai - Chilean Free Trade Agreement. The Thai side highlighted the exchange of trade delegations, including Chile’s participation in Thailand’s annual THAIFEX exhibition. The Thai side also expressed appreciation on the success of “Start-up Chile”, which has partly helped drive Chile’s economy, and informed that a delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Thailand is scheduled to pay a working visit to Chile in January 2019 to discuss the conclusion of 2 MOUs on startups. 

          The Chilean side also conveyed its readiness to develop further technical cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation with Thailand and proposed an action plan for the consideration of the Thai side. In addition, both sides discussed pending agreements and agreed to expedite the signing of the Air Services Agreement between Thailand and Chile. Most importantly, the two sides recognized the importance of this Meeting as a foundation towards the exchange of high level visits in the future.

          The Political Consultations was established in 1999 as a forum for the Foreign Ministries of Thailand and Chile to hold regular dialogue. The Meeting takes place every 2 years, alternately between Thailand and Chile. The 6th Meeting will be hosted by Thailand in 2020.