Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs participated in the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting (ARF SOM), highlighting multilateral cooperation and coordinated international response in securing adequate COVID-19 vaccine production and ensuring equitable distribution as well as the role of the ARF as the primary forum for constructive dialogue and practical security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

On 29 June 2021, H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, attended the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting (ARF SOM) via video conference. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Mrs. Emaleen binti Abdul Rahman Teo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam. Senior Officials of other ARF Participants and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN also attended the Meeting.

The Meeting reviewed progress made in the implementation of the ARF Ha Noi Plan of Action II (2020-2025) and endorsed the List of Track I Activities as well as the Co-Chairs of ARF Meetings and Activities for the Inter-Sessional Year 2021-2022. On this occasion, Thailand confirmed that it will serve as a co-chair of the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, together with the United States of America and Sri Lanka, for the Inter-Sessional Year 2022-2024. Thailand will also co-chair several activities in 2021-2022 as part of promoting confidence-building measures, including the ARF Seminar on Marine Debris with the United States and China, the ARF Workshop in Countering the Use of ICTs for Criminal Purposes with the Russian Federation and China, and the 4th ARF Workshop on Ferry Safety with China.

The Meeting also had an extensive exchange of views on regional and international issues, including the collective response to and recovery from COVID-19, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, climate change, non-proliferation and disarmament, and the developments in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East, and the situation in Myanmar.

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