On May 25, 2023, Ms. Pinsuda Jayanama, Deputy Ambassador to the Ministry and Leader of Thailand’s Mekong SOM, participated in the Mekong-Republic of Korea Senior Officials Meeting (Mekong-ROK SOM) 2023 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The meeting welcomed the progress of cooperation between the Mekong and the ROK and commended the ROK’s constructive engagement and commitment to the concrete development of the Mekong subregion, in accordance with the Han River Declaration, the Mekong-Republic of Korea Action Plan 2021-2025 and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI).
These efforts are reflected in the ROK’s annual contribution to the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund (MKCF), which has supported more than 40 development projects of Mekong-ROK member countries in various areas since 2016. The Meeting also They exchanged views on the future direction of Mekong-ROK cooperation with a view to supporting the subregion’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and changing global situations, as well as strengthening its ability to address non-traditional security issues.
Priority areas of collaboration
Ambassador Pinsuda expressed Thailand’s readiness to partner with the Republic of Korea to promote sustainable development in the Mekong subregion, and proposed that the Mekong countries join hands with the Republic of Korea to foster cooperation in various scopes.
First, addressing non-traditional security issues such as telecom (call center) scam, human trafficking, narcotics, and pandemic. On the other hand, the management of water resources and conservation of the environment, including pollution by fog. Similarly, address trade and investment cooperation and key industries of the future, such as electronic vehicles (EVs), smart agriculture, 5G networks, the digital economy, and the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy.
Korean, New Zealand foreign ministers strengthen bilateral cooperation
Finally, he highlighted the synergistic collaboration between the public and private sectors in the direction of the Mekong-ROK cooperation, which Thailand welcomed that the ROK will host the Mekong-ROK Business Forum in November 2023.
Thailand also advocated enhancing synergy between the Mekong-KOK and other subregional cooperation frameworks, particularly ACMECS, as well as promoting tripartite cooperation between the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and the Thailand International Cooperation Agency. of Korea (KOICA) and collaboration between the Republic of Korea and other development partners in the subregion.
Ambassador Pinsuda expressed Thailand’s readiness to partner with the Republic of Korea to promote sustainable development in the Mekong subregion
Established in 2011, the Mekong-Kingdom of Korea comprises five Mekong countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea.
Currently, it is governed by the Mekong-Kingdom of Korea Action Plan 2021-2025, based on three pillars: People, Prosperity and Peace, and seven priority areas of cooperation: culture and tourism; human resources development; agriculture and rural development; infrastructures; Information technology and communication; environment; and non-traditional security challenges.
