The visit by European External Action Service (EEAS)’s Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific to the Kingdom of Thailand

The Delegation of the European Union to Thailand was pleased to welcome Mrs Paola Pampaloni, Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS), to Thailand this week. Mrs Pampaloni was the first and most senior official from the European Union's headquarters to visit Thailand since the pandemic began in late 2019. Her four-day visit covered a wide range of topics, including bilateral, regional, and global issues.

Mrs Pampaloni held discussions with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs, civil society and the Ambassadors of the European Union. The future Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Thailand was discussed at length.  The EU-Indo Pacific Strategy, the situations in Ukraine and Myanmar as well as Thailand were also widely covered.

The senior official from Brussels said, “I am delighted to be back in Thailand for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started. There are a number of issues in which the EU and Thailand have mutual interests, particularly under the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Cooperation. The EU is eager to strengthen its ties with Thailand in order to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”

Thailand is one of the EU’s closest and most long-standing partners in the Indo-Pacific region. We have shared interests in an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region under the rules-based international system, in good governance and in sustainable development.