Joint Press Statement
on the Bilateral Discussions between
the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
and the President of the French Republic

on 17 November 2022

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1.His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, paid a visit to the Kingdom of Thailand on 16 - 18 November 2022, as Guest of the Chair of the Asia - Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). During the visit, His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand and His Excellency President Macron held bilateral discussions on 17 November 2022 at the Government House.

2. Both Leaders expressed satisfaction with the longstanding relations between the two countries that have spanned for over three centuries. They reiterated their commitment to reinforcing stronger partnership through the Roadmap for Thai - French Relations for the year 2022 - 2024 with a view to establishing the Strategic Partnership between the Kingdom of Thailand and the French Republic by 2024 and agreed to take immediate steps on priorities under the Roadmap as follows:

Promoting cooperation for peace, stability and security

3. Both sides agreed to concretize the mechanism of 2+2 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs + Ministry of Defense) Dialogue at the senior official level at the earliest opportunity.

4. Thailand and France would hold dialogues of high-level officials as well as find the appropriate ways to facilitate such exchanges, including through the signing of the visa exemption agreement for holders of official passports between Thailand and France at the earliest in 2023.

Strengthening economic partnership in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and in promotion of Thailand’s national agenda of BCG

5. Both sides endeavored to continuously increase trade and investment opportunities, including under the framework of the High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED), and with the support of the France-Thailand Business Forum (FTBF) in the areas such as transports/ infrastructures; digital economy; Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy; smart and creative cities; Food for the Future; and energy transition; including investments in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

6. Both Leaders appreciated good progress made in the Thai-owned and French-manufactured THEOS-2 satellite project for smart agricultural undertaking for food security and sustainable development purposes. The estimated launch date by Arianespace Vega C launcher of the THEOS-2 satellite is early 2023.

Reinforcing people-to-people exchanges

7. Both sides agreed to enhance closer people-to-people ties by promoting smart sustainable tourism, safe travel, and sports, among other things, and by intensifying cooperation on professional training and education, including through the teaching of the French language in Thailand and the Thai language in France. Thailand congratulated France for hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

8. The two Leaders discussed a series of activities under the “Thai - French Innovation Year 2023” and the signing of the Declaration of Intent (DoI) on the cooperation in the domains of higher education, science, research and innovation in 2023.

9. Thailand and France also agreed on the establishment of a preparatory committee to commemorate the 340^th anniversary of the first contact between Siam and France in 2025 and the 170^th anniversary of Thai - French diplomatic relations in 2026.

Fostering cooperation on global issues

10. The two Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, France welcomed the signing by Thailand of the Declaration of Intent (DoI) in support of the PREventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence (PREZODE) International Initiative and also Thailand’s support for the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People.

Regional and international issues

11. Both sides reiterated their commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, taking into account the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and France’s and the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Thailand and France looked forward to enhancing ASEAN - France Development Partnership to support the post-COVID-19 recovery and to build a more sustainable and resilient future, based on shared vision and interest.

12. The continued deterioration of the situation in Myanmar is a matter of concern for both Thailand and France. The two Leaders expressed their full support for ASEAN’s efforts in moving forward with the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, including the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need in Myanmar.

13. Also discussed was the pressing need for the international community to collectively address all forms of security threats, be they traditional and non-traditional. On Ukraine, Thailand and France recalled the UNGA Resolution ES-11/1 of 2 March 2022, reiterating their commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of States as enshrined in the UN Charter. Both sides also strongly urged all parties concerned to refrain from further escalation of the conflict, as well as to seriously explore ways and means to peacefully resolve the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue. Both sides further reaffirmed their support to the P5 leaders’ statement on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races issued on 3 January 2022 and to the full respect of the commitments comprised in this statement.

APEC

14. Thailand’s and France’s development vision and strategy were discussed under Thailand’s APEC theme of “Open. Connect. Balance.” Bio-Circular-Green economy model was also discussed in conjunction with France’s strategy towards the Asia-Pacific region on supply chain diversification, digital connectivity, as well as climate change and environmental issues. Both Leaders discussed ways and means to cooperate on the implementation of these vision and strategy.  President Macron emphasized the convergence between the objectives of APEC and the priorities of France and the European Union in their joint effort to materialize them within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Strategy.

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