Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will participate in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on 21 January 2021 via video conference, which will be the first Foreign Ministers’ meeting during Brunei’s Chairmanship of 2021. The meeting will discuss ASEAN initiatives for socio-economic recovery from COVID-19, sustainable development, Seamless Connectivity, and the revitalisation of multilateralism.

H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to participate in the first-ever virtual ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on 21 January 2021, to be chaired by Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Second Foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam.

Thailand remains committed to moving forward together on ASEAN initiatives for socio-economic recovery from COVID-19, promotion of Complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Complementarity Initiative), the promotion of Seamless Connectivity, both in hardware and software dimensions, through Connecting the Connectivities Initiative, and the revitalisation of multilateralism.

The Retreat is the first ASEAN ministerial meeting to be held by Brunei Darussalam as ASEAN Chair for 2021. With the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper” for this year’s Chairmanship, ASEAN Foreign Ministers will discuss and take forward key priorities of the Chair, follow up on the outcomes of the 37th ASEAN Summit under Vietnam’s Chairmanship, and set out the agenda and initiatives for the year amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. ASEAN Foreign Ministers will also exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern, as well as ways forward in engaging with external partners.