Prayut calls for constructive cooperation as Asean-EU summit wraps up in Brussels
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called for countries to use constructive cooperation to bring about positive change as the 45th Asean-EU summit wrapped up in Brussels yesterday.
Prayut told leaders attending the summit that cooperation between countries should focus on issues related to security, the economy, society, and the environment.
Regarding security, countries should work together to avoid confrontations and the risk of conflict while boosting cooperation on humanitarian and economic assistance, Prayut said.
Regarding economic, social and environmental issues, it is the responsibility of all countries to unite in a battle against such problems as climate change and global warming, he said. He said the economic model known as the BCG (bio, circular and green) — which was promoted by Thailand during the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok — was a way to bring positive changes to mitigate climate change and reduce global warming.
“I believe that the power of constructive cooperation can serve as a driving force for sustainable development. This will benefit peoples of Asean, the European Union and the world as a whole,” PM Prayut wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.
“During this transitional period, we need global unity. The benefits of our efforts will happen for our generation and our children and grandchildren in the future. We have to start immediately today,” he said.
The Thai prime minister was in Brussels, where leaders from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met with their counterparts from the European Union on Wednesday to celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two regional groupings.
Prayut also wrote that the Asean-EU leaders discussed strategic partnerships between the groupings and exchanged views on global challenges, including post-Covid economic recovery, and changes brought about by the green and digital economies.
He noted that the meeting had economic significance as the EU is Asean’s third-largest trade partner, after China and the United States.
Last year’s trade volume between member countries of the two regional groupings totalled 215.9 billion euros (7.98 trillion baht), accounting for 10.6% of Asean’s total trade. The EU is Asean’s top source of foreign direct investment, with 144 billion euros (5.32 trillion baht) in cumulative FDI from the EU in Asean.
