On 17 April 2024, H.E. Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador-Designate of Thailand to Belgium, chaired the third Team Thailand Meeting, in hybrid format. Participants included Heads and officials of Team Thailand Offices namely Office of Agricultural Affairs in Brussels; Office of Commercial Affairs in Brussels; Office of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation in Brussels; the Office of Customs Affairs in Brussels; Office of Economic and Financial Affairs in London; Office of Commercial Affairs in The Hague; Board of Investment (BOI) Representative Office in Frankfurt; Office of Industrial Affairs in Vienna; Tourism Authority of Thailand in Paris; and Embassy diplomats.
H.E. Ambassador-Designate started off the meeting by introducing herself upon the assumption of duty, and emphasised the Embassy’s support in working together to advance cooperation between Thailand and Belgium as well as with Luxembourg and the European Union (EU) on priority areas such as Thailand-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations; Schengen Visa exemption for Thai ordinary passport holders; monitoring the EU’s environmental legislations/regulations that could impact third countries including Thailand; building knowledge on green and digital transition; increasing trade and investment opportunities; cultural diplomacy and Thailand’s soft power; and strengthening Thai communities. The Meeting also exchanged views on work plans, upcoming missions and latest updates on issues within each Office’s purview, and was briefed on developments regarding 2024 Belgian federal elections and the European Parliament election.
In the evening, the Ambassador-Designate hosted a dinner for Heads and officials of Team Thailand offices in Brussels, Embassy diplomats, and their family at the residence.