The Prime Minister welcomed the Secretary-General of the OECD, emphasizing that Thailand is ready to become a member, and hastening to improve regulations to meet international standards. The OECD praised Thailand's role in ASEAN and is ready to help drive government policies to improve investment, competition, education, public health, and the environment. Mr. Jirayu Huangsap, spokesman of the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that Mr. Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paid a courtesy call on Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, on the occasion of her official visit to Thailand as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister welcomed the OECD Secretary-General and thanked him for his full support in Thailand's application process for membership in the OECD. He affirmed Thailand's strong commitment to join the OECD and reiterated Thailand's readiness to join the OECD as a close strategic and economic partner of the OECD, as well as to help promote regional connectivity through international platforms such as APEC and ASEAN, which will help enhance the competitiveness and quality of life of the people. At the same time, Thailand will become an increasingly attractive destination for businesses and investment from OECD member countries and internationally. The OECD Secretary-General is very pleased that Thailand has entered the OECD membership process and praised Thailand for its important role in the Southeast Asian region, with which both sides have long-standing cooperation since 2005. He is also willing to work with all relevant Thai agencies to support the OECD membership process to proceed smoothly, and is confident that OECD membership will greatly benefit Thai people, help drive national reform, strengthen the economy, and raise people's living standards. On this occasion, both sides emphasized the importance of building close cooperation so that the OECD membership process will lead to Thailand's sustainabl e development and be in line with international goals. The Prime Minister affirmed Thailand's commitment to cooperate with all sectors, especially the private sector, so that operations are in line with international standards and produce tangible results. He also invited and hoped that the OECD would consider establishing a Regional Headquarter in Thailand to promote development and close cooperation. The OECD Secretary-General is pleased to provide advice and support the process of improving Thailand's government policies, especially in the areas of investment, competition, education, public health, and the environment, to be in line with the OECD framework. Thailand has entered the accession discussions process to become a member of the OECD on 17 June 2024. The OECD accession process has 3 phases. Thailand is currently in phase 2. Thailand and the OECD are in discussions to jointly develop an action plan to adjust policies and regulations (Initial Memorandum) to achieve the goals according to the accessi on roadmap. Source: Thai News Agency