On 1 December 2022, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) met with Ms. Julia Feeney, Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Bangkok. Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Director of Development Promotion and Coordination Division, and Dr. Gemma Edgar, Counsellor (Development), Australian Embassy, Bangkok and officers from both countries also attended the meeting.

Both sides underscored the importance of the collaboration between TICA and the Australian Embassy to promote both bilateral and trilateral development cooperation in Southeast Asia, the Mekong Sub-Region, and within the ACMECS framework, especially in the areas that respond to the needs and priorities of the region and the targeted countries where Thailand could provide expertise support and experience sharing such as public health, tourism, agriculture, and community development, as well as in the areas that Australia attaches high priority such as renewable energy, climate chang, transnational crimes. On this occasion, both sides also discussed the possibility of extending the development cooperation to the South Pacific Island Countries.

In addition, Director-General of TICA reiterated TICA’s readiness to work closely with Australia to promote development cooperation in this region, particularly under the framework of ACMECS Pillar 3: Smart and Sustainable ACMECS.