On 12 September 2020, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, participated in the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting via videoconference.  H.E. Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, in his capacity as Country Coordinator for ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations, co-chaired the Meeting with H.E. Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.  

The Meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both sides to work together towards the elevation of ASEAN-EU relations to a strategic partnership and underlined the importance of upholding regionalism and multilateralism as well as a rules-based international order and promoting public health cooperation, including in response to COVID-19, especially in research and development of medicines and vaccines. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues such as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of cooperation on the development of COVID-19 medicines and vaccines as “global public goods” and on economic recovery efforts, including preserving supply chain connectivity, maintaining trade and investment openness, advancing the framework for a future ASEAN-EU FTA and the resumption of the negotiations of a Thai-EU FTA, and promoting digital technology cooperation. He also underscored the significance of sustainable development and green growth, which could offer solutions for post-COVID-19 recovery. In this regard, he encouraged the EU to promote more concrete cooperation on sustainable development with ASEAN, especially through the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue in potential areas such as sustainable consumption and production as well as circular economy.