BANGKOK, 19 October 2024 – Secretary Enrique A. Manalo visited Thailand on 18 October 2024, upon the invitation of Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa. This was Secretary Manalo’s first official visit to Thailand since his appointment as Secretary for Foreign Affairs in July 2022 and a milestone in the ongoing commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand. Formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand were established on 14 June 1949.

During his visit, he and Foreign Minister Maris co-chaired the 6th Meeting of the Philippines-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation. This was the first time the JCBC was convened since the Philippines hosted the 5th Meeting in 2013.

The two ministers reviewed the status of bilateral relations and identified new areas of cooperation ,such as combating transnational crimes, intelligence exchanges, and labor. They also committed to strengthen cooperation in existing partnerships, such as in trade and investments, agriculture, and tourism.

The Foreign Ministers also exchanged views on the recently concluded 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits, and ongoing regional and international issues, such as in the South China Sea, Myanmar, and the Middle East. They agreed to work closely on these issues.

Secretary Manalo praised the results of the meeting stating, “Our discussions today have been fruitful and we will work with the relevant Philippine government agencies to bring to fruition what we have discussed during today’s meeting. We will also work closely with the Thai government in finalizing pending agreements and fully implementing the existing agreements, to further boost our bilateral relations”.

The JCBC is a bilateral mechanism established on 22 August 1992 to facilitate cooperation and consultation between the Philippines and Thailand on a wide array of issues of bilateral and regional concern. END