H.E. Mr. Pavel Pitel, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha on occasion of his assumption of duty. Government House, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister and Acting Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister welcomed the Czech Ambassador and wished him all the best in his tenure in Thailand. He expressed pleasure over close diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Czech Republic, and hoped that the two countries continue to reinforce cooperation for the best interest of people of both countries.
The Prime Minister also congratulated the success of the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit with the Czech Republic as EU chair. This success reflects commitment of the two regions to join forces in addressing wide-ranging problems. Thailand hopes to achieve its goal in addressing geo-political and security challenges, and promoting green transition for sustainability and digital transition through ASEAN-EU cooperation. The Prime Minister thanked the Czech Republic for its support provided to Thailand on the signing of EU-Thailand Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which will open up an opportunity for the next round of FTA negotiation between Thailand and EU.
The Czech Ambassador expressed pleasure to be tenured in Thailand, and committed to promote bilateral relations and cooperation between Thailand and the Czech Republic at all levels and in all dimensions.
Both parties also discussed issues of mutual interest:
The Prime Minister and the Czech Ambassador agreed to expedite cooperation in various areas to achieve tangible result, especially the cooperation in space diplomacy, automotive, security, and public health. The Prime Minister also hoped that the 3rd Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JEC) be held at the first opportunity for Thailand and the Czech Republic to discuss existing cooperation and explore cooperation in the new potential areas.
On economic and investment cooperation, the Prime Minister is of the view that there is potential for an increase of mutual trade, and extended his invitation to Czech investors to make investment in S-Curve industries in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The Czech Ambassador agreed on cooperation potentiality, and affirmed Czech Republic’s readiness to increase its investment in Thailand in several areas of expertise.
Both parties also came to terms on promoting tourism cooperation. Thailand is one of the popular tourist destinations among the Czechs, and the country would be pleased to welcome more Czech tourists to the country. The Prime Minister suggested that a meeting of tourism sub-committee be held in parallel with the 3rd Thailand-Czech Republic JEC this year. He also called for Czech Republic’s support on Thailand’s bid to host the Specialized Expo 2028 in Phuket, for which the final vote to select the winning host destination is scheduled to take place in June 2023 in Paris. (PRD)
