The Prime Minister discussed with the Spanish Ambassador to build confidence in advancing Thailand-Spain cooperation, supporting the Thai-EU FTA and OECD membership to create opportunities for trade, investment, and people-to-people collaboration.
At 14:30 on 6 July 2026, at the reception room on the 2nd floor of the Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that Felipe de la Morena Casado, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Thailand, paid a farewell visit to Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul before ending his term. The main points are summarized as follows.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advance Thailand-Spain cooperation across all dimensions, including the economy, trade, investment, education, culture, transportation, and tourism industry. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Spanish Ambassador for continuously promoting and driving the progress of Thailand-Spain relations during his tenure. The strong relationship between the two countries has developed concretely in many areas and forms a vital foundation to expand future cooperation that will build confidence and open new opportunities for both nations.
On this occasion, both parties discussed key issues as follows:
1. Advancing cooperation in economy, investment, and trade
Both sides agreed on the strong Thailand-Spain relations that have built confidence among business sectors of both countries, resulting in a continued increase in Spanish investment in Thailand. They emphasized that the Thai government is ready to facilitate investors, and the Prime Minister is confident that Thailand offers investment opportunities for Spanish investors—not only as a tourist destination but also as a country with strong business potential. The good relations between Thailand and Spain, both in business and people-to-people connections, will help create new economic and investment opportunities for both countries.
2. Promoting cooperation in transportation, education, culture, and people-to-people relations
Both parties welcomed the progress in Thailand-Spain cooperation. Currently, the two countries have two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that serve as key mechanisms to drive cooperation: one on transportation and one on education. They hope to expand cooperation into additional sectors in the future. Moreover, the Prime Minister supports promoting Spanish language teaching in Thai schools, building networks between higher education institutions of both countries, as well as cultural exchanges and people-to-people relations to strengthen mutual understanding, closeness, and friendship between the peoples of both countries.
3. Expanding cooperation in the tourism industry
The Prime Minister stated that Thailand remains a popular destination for Spanish tourists and believes that both countries have the potential to further develop cooperation in the tourism industry, which will create long-term mutual benefits.
4. Promoting the Thai-EU FTA and Thailand's OECD membership
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Thai government's commitment to swiftly conclude the Thai-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to expand trade, investment, and economic connectivity between Thailand and Europe. Meanwhile, the Spanish Ambassador confirmed Spain's support for Thailand's accession to the OECD and exchanged views on market opening issues, expressing readiness to work closely with Thailand moving forward. Both sides agreed that promoting the Thai-EU FTA and Thailand's OECD membership are important opportunities to strengthen economic capabilities, increase investor confidence, and deepen Thailand-Spain cooperation.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the strong relationship between Thailand and Spain, covering economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties, will be a key driver in creating new opportunities for both countries and lead to concrete cooperation for the long-term benefit of the peoples of Thailand and Spain.
