Bangkok: The Prime Minister exchanged Maori greetings with the Prime Minister of New Zealand during the Special ASEAN New Zealand Summit, proposing three approaches to cooperation: “Security, Prosperity, and for the People.” He also supported the establishment of an ASEAN New Zealand Centre to drive the green agenda for sustainable growth.
According to Thai News Agency, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, along with leaders from two ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretary General, and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, attended the ASEAN New Zealand Commemorative Summit. The Prime Minister addressed the New Zealand Prime Minister in Maori, “Kia Ora,” and expressed his congratulations on the meeting, reflecting the close relationship between ASEAN and New Zealand over the past five decades. He praised New Zealand as a reliable strategic partner of ASEAN, with a foreign policy that supports free trade, multilateral cooperation, and the effective implementation of international rules.
The Prime Minister also stated that the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of its 50th anniversary is an important and appropriate step given the region’s ongoing challenges. He proposed prioritizing three key areas: security, prosperity, and people. On security, it was proposed to cooperate with New Zealand on maritime security, combating transnational crime, particularly online crime, disaster management, and ensuring public health security, with hopes that the Vision Fund would support regional humanitarian initiatives.
Thailand also views humanitarian assistance in Myanmar as a pathway to dialogue and confidence building, emphasizing New Zealand’s support for ASEAN’s coordinated humanitarian efforts to promote an environment conducive to peace and stability.
On the economic front, Thailand proposed promoting trade and investment cooperation under the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and suggested holding an ASEAN New Zealand Business Leaders’ Meeting to discuss ways to utilize the region’s potential, leverage free trade agreements, and connect economies.
Cooperation on the green agenda, which is key to sustainable growth, was also a focal point. The proposal included collaboration on green innovation, renewable energy, carbon credits, forest management, climate change adaptation, and sustainable agriculture and tourism. The ASEAN New Zealand Green Agenda Meeting, hosted by Thailand last month, reflected ASEAN’s interest in expanding cooperation on this issue.
On the public side, there was a proposal to strengthen cooperation in education and human resource development, particularly among youth, to foster continued people-to-people exchanges. Support was also voiced for establishing an ASEAN New Zealand Centre as a central mechanism to promote sustainable future cooperation.