The following Joint Press Statement was issued on the official visit to Thailand on 26-28 August 2021 by Mr. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK).
1. At the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, His Excellency Mr. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROK, paid an official visit to Thailand on 26-28 August 2021. During the visit, the two Ministers held a bilateral discussion at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Minister Chung Eui-yong also paid a courtesy call on General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand.
2. The two Ministers expressed satisfaction with the developments in the Strategic Partnership between Thailand and the Republic of Korea and reaffirmed the commitment to further enhance relations between the two countries, including the implementation of the outcome of the telephone conversation between General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, and His Excellency Mr. Moon Jae-in, President of the ROK, on 28 May 2021 into tangible results. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
On Bilateral Cooperation
3. Both sides welcomed the 10th anniversary of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea on the Thailand-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership in 2022 and shared the view on the importance of reinvigorating the current Strategic Partnership to align with national development strategies and respond to challenges posed by the changing regional and global strategic landscape as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the two ministers tasked their senior officials to explore how to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership to a new height and develop a Joint Action Plan towards that end. The Thai side expressed readiness to host the 4th Policy Consultation during the latter part of this year to discuss these matters.
4. Both sides acknowledged the close defense and security cooperation between Thailand and the Republic of Korea and agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in these areas. The two Ministers also looked forward to both sides convening the first bilateral dialogue on cybersecurity to explore possible areas of cooperation related to the realm of cybersecurity.
5. Both sides expressed appreciation for the support and assistance extended to each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to collaborate closely towards a sustainable post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery through a strengthened partnership for (1) future industries, (2) green economy, and (3) health.
6. Partnership for future industries: Both sides affirmed the commitment to facilitate trade and investment, share best practices on the balanced development of industry and infrastructure between urban and rural areas, including smart cities and intensify cooperation in technology and innovation and digital economy as well as human resource development to upskill the workforce. The Thai side encouraged the Republic of Korea to increase investment in high-tech industries such as next generation automobile, smart electronics especially semiconductors, robotics and automation, and bio-health, digital, medical, bio-circular-green industries (BCGs), particularly in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) through the support of relevant public agencies and private organizations from both sides, including the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Board of Investment (BOI) of Thailand. The ROK side requested the Thai government’s continued support for the Republic of Korea to participate and invest in major infrastructure projects in Thailand, which open for international bidding.
7. Partnership for green economy: Both sides agreed to explore synergies between Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy model and the ROK’s Green New Deal with a view to promoting green investment and green technologies for sustainable development. Both sides also welcomed the fruitful outcome of the 2nd Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on 11 August 2021 as a step forward in cooperation on water resources management. Both sides noted the ROK’s bid for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
8. Partnership for health: Both sides expressed the determination to enhance cooperation in emerging infectious diseases and public health threats and explore collaboration in vaccine research, development, production and distribution. The two Ministers looked forward to finalizing the draft agreement on health cooperation and the convening of the First ROK-Thailand Foreign and Health Ministers’ 2+2 Dialogue on Health Security at the earliest date of mutual convenience with a view to enhancing the partnership between the two countries in this area.
9. Both sides welcomed the vibrant people-to-people relations and educational and cultural exchanges between Thailand and the Republic of Korea and supported a continued collaboration in these fields. The two Ministers also agreed to hold the fifth director-general-level meeting on consular affairs in order to bolster consular cooperation for protecting the rights and interests of their nationals in Thailand and the Republic of Korea.
10. Both sides expressed support to development cooperation between Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the MoU on Strengthening Partnership for International Development Cooperation and the 3rd Three-year Action Plan especially in key areas, including healthcare, human resource development, and people-to-people relations through exchanges of experts, joint dispatch of volunteers to target countries, short-term trainings, and provision of scholarships.
On Regional and International Cooperation
11. The Thai side expressed appreciation to the Republic of Korea for the proactive role in sub-regional and regional frameworks, particularly in the ASEAN-ROK, Mekong-ROK Cooperation and ACMECS of which the Republic of Korea is a Development Partner. In this regard, both sides agreed to cooperate for the success of the forthcoming 11th Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 3rd Mekong-ROK Summit later this year, which would further strengthen the partnership between Thailand as well as Mekong countries and the Republic of Korea towards peace, prosperity and sustainability in the Mekong sub-region. In addition, both sides recognized that ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement has been an important mechanism in accelerating trade and investment in the region and viewed that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) will enable the region to achieve post-pandemic economic recovery. The Republic of Korea reaffirmed the commitment to working with Thailand to materialize cooperation in the said frameworks in line with the New Southern Policy (NSP) and the New Southern Policy Plus (NSPP). Both sides agreed to work closely to launch the ROK-ACMECS Cooperation Project utilizing the ROK’s contribution to the ACMECS fund. The Thai side expressed appreciation to the Korean side for the support for Thailand’s APEC host year in 2022.
12. Both sides reaffirmed the commitment to ASEAN centrality and bring about the four areas of cooperation under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) into fruition as well as supported the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework. Thailand reiterated support to the Republic of Korea for the unwavering efforts to achieve complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and to advance inter-Korean dialogue, engagement, and cooperation, while the Republic of Korea expressed support for the roles of ASEAN in resolving the situation in Myanmar. Both sides looked forward to the timely and complete implementation of the Five-Point Consensus of the ASEAN Leaders Meeting on 24 April 2021, and agreed to continue to seek ways for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar.
Source: The Government Public Relations Department