Summary of Weekly Press Briefing by

Director-General of Department of Information/Spokesperson of MFA

Thursday, 30 October 2024 at 11.00 hrs.

Press Conference Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MFA FB Live

1. Outcomes of the 4th BRICS Plus Summit in Kazan, Russia

• On 24 October 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs represented the Prime Minister in the 16th Leaders’ Meeting of the BRICS Member Countries in the Outreach/BRICS Plus Format (BRICS Plus Summit) under the theme “BRICS and the Global South: Building a Better World Together” in Kazan, Russia.
• The meeting was chaired by the President of Russia and was attended by leaders, ministers, and senior officials from 36 developing countries along with Secretary-General of the United Nations and President of New Development Bank. They discussed challenges arising from current global situation, including the situation in the Middle East; ways to promote cooperation between BRICS and developing countries; ways to promote multilateral cooperation in a global system that is more fair and sustainable, especially the reform of the global financial architecture.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a statement to call for the strengthening of multilateralism that is just and equitable to all, including developing countries, and should cover reforms of international financial architecture. The Minister also reiterated Thailand’s determination to further engage with BRICS and expressed Thailand’s readiness to bridge various cooperation frameworks, in which Thailand takes part, in order to synergise efforts and jointly advance common agendas.
• In addition, The Minister also expressed Thailand’s concern on the situation in the Middle East and urged all parties to align with the international law and the relevant United Nations’ resolution.

2. Launch Ceremony of the Joint Plan of Action - CLEAR Sky Strategy between Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar

• On 29 October 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with H.E. Mr. Chalermchai Sri-on, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, H.E. Mrs. Bounkham Vorlachit, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and H.E. Mr. Khin Maung Yi, Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, officially launched the Joint Plan of Action – CLEAR Sky Strategy 2024 - 2030.
• The Environment Ministries of all 3 countries highlighted the commitment of the 3 governments in carrying out plans to address the problem, including capacity building and exchanges of innovation.
• The Joint Plan of Action specifies concrete cooperation among Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar for 2024 - 2030, including cooperation on fire control and suppression, reduction of hotspots, monitoring economic and health effects, promoting inter-agency coordination, and establishing a hotline between the 3 countries.

3. Working visit to Thailand of the OECD Secretary-General

• During 29 - 31 October 2024, H.E. Mr. Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paid a visit to Thailand as guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The Secretary-General had discussions with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Governor of the Bank of Thailand, the Second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industries and Banking (JSCCIB).
• During the visit, he also joined the public event on “the Launch of Thailand’s OECD Accession Process” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The OECD has invited Thailand to the Accession Discussions since 17 June 2024, after Thailand had transmitted the Letter of Intent to join the OECD on 12 February
• This visit is an important part of Thailand’s OECD Accession Process. The accession will help enhance the country’s competitiveness, create conducive environment for sustainable and high-quality investment, and improve regulations and policies in various areas, including good governance, transparency and environment. It will also promote Thailand’s role in shaping the international economic governance together with OECD members.

4. The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summits

• On 6 - 7 November, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will accompany the Prime Minister to attend the 8^th GMS Summit and the 10^th ACMECS Summit in Kunming, People’s Republic of China.
• The PRC will host the 8th GMS Summit under the theme “Toward a Better Community Through Innovation-driven Development.” The Summit will comprise a Retreat, during which the PM will deliver a statement on “Innovation-driven Development”, and a Plenary Session, where she will also deliver a statement.
• In the GMS Summit, Thailand will focus on advancing the implementation of the 3 main pillars of cooperation: emphasizing comprehensive connectivity, enhancing and developing competitiveness, and accelerating the promotion of a better community.
• The Lao PDR will host and chair the 10^th ACMECS Summit under the theme “Towards Seamless Connectivity for Mekong Sub-regional Integration,” and will review progress under the 3 Goals of the ACMECS Master Plan 2019 - 2023.
• In the ACMECS Summit, Thailand will advance cooperation under the 3 Goals: Connectivity through infrastructure development, Facilitation and promotion of cross-border trade, and Human Resource Development through scholarships and training. Thailand will also propose cooperation on common challenges, including transnational crime, air pollution and natural disasters. As the seat of ACMECS’ Interim Secretariat, Thailand has launched the new ACMECS logo and website, and played a coordinating role among ACMECS’ development partners.

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