H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, along with Mrs. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, will visit the French Republic, from 20 to 24 February 2022
to attend the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. France, in the capacity as President of the Council of the EU from January to June 2022, will host the Forum at the Ministerial Conference Center in Paris.

France has invited 57 foreign ministers from the EU Member States and countries from the Indo-Pacific region including Asia, ASEAN, Australia, coastal countries in the Indian Ocean (Africa and South Asia), countries in the South Pacific Ocean, as well as Canada, to participate in the Forum. The Forum will include three roundtable meetings on issues related to (1) security and defense (2) digital and connectivity (3) global issues such as climate change, the protection of oceans, biodiversity, and global health. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will participate and deliver remarks at the roundtable meeting on the global issues.

The main objective of the visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is to advance Thailand’s interest and leadership in strategic cooperation of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) in alignment with the EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific.

During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will have a bilateral meeting with Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic. Both sides will sign the Roadmap for Thai-French Relations (2022-2024) to elevate bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership by 2024 which will bring greater benefits to Thailand in political, economic and social dimensions.

Additionally, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will have several bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from participating countries, as well as senior executives from international organizations with headquarters in Paris such as the OECD and UNESCO, in order to promote international cooperation and advance the interests of Thailand.