On 10 June 2026, H.E. Mrs. Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohit, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN, represented Thailand at the ASEAN-New Zealand Forum on Subregional Cooperation and the Workshop on Commemorating Five Years of ASEAN-United Kingdom Dialogue Relations held on the sidelines of the 3rd ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi, Viet Nam, in its capacity as Country Coordinators for ASEAN-New Zealand and ASEAN-UK relations.

On this occasion, Ambassador Phantipha commended New Zealand’s continued constructuve engagement in the Mekong subregion and highlighted the importance of maximsing full potentials of existing frameworks to advance practical cooperation in areas of shared interests. The Ambassador also exchanged views on the future direction of ASEAN-UK relations, pointing that the partnership should be more strategic and future-oriented, with emphasis on six priority areas, namely economic resilience and security; digital transformation and AI; climate and energy; maritime security; transnational crime; and public health. Moreover, the Ambassador reaffirmed Thailand’s readiness to assume the role of ASEAN-UK Country Coordinator for 2027-2030 with a view to further strengthen both sides’ resilience and long-term competitiveness in response to an increasingly volatile and challenging global environment.