Marcos invites Thai PM Paetongtarn to visit PH

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has invited Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to visit the Philippines.

DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo conveyed the invitation during bis bilateral meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa on Friday.

"I had a fruitful meeting with Foreign Minister Maris and I look forward to more opportunities to exchange views with him on how we can strengthen and elevate our bilateral relationship, as well as our cooperation in addressing various regional and international challenges," he said in a press statement after the 6th Philippine-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in Bangkok.

"[I] reiterate President Marcos' invitation to the Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to visit the Philippines," he added.

Marcos and the Thai prime minister previously met during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings in Laos last week.

Paetongtarn, who assumed office on Aug. 16, is the youngest Thai prime minister and head of government in Asia at 37.

She earlier outlined that she would integrate "security cooperation within the ASEAN region and among foreign countries," to promote peace, stability, and progress of Thailand and the region on a "sustainable basis."

Her foreign policy would be marked by a "firm posture of not becoming party to international conflicts," transforming geopolitical challenges between major powers into "strategies that enhance opportunities for Thailand."

Paetongtarn said her government would tie up with neighboring states to establish mechanisms addressing transnational crimes, including online fraud and phone scams.

At the JCBC, Manalo and Maris discussed ways to further strengthen the Manila-Bangkok cooperation in these areas and the developments in the South China Sea, Myanmar and the Middle East. (PNA)