Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano had a video call with his Thai counterpart Vijavat Isarabhakdi. The interview is part of a cycle of contacts with his counterparts in South-East Asian countries to relaunch relations and encourage a rapid recovery after the COVID crisis.
The conversation was an opportunity to take stock of the excellent bilateral relations also in the wake of the success of the Italo-Thai Business Forum chaired by the Undersecretary in Rome last year. Both interlocutors were satisfied with the intense economic exchange (in 2019 it reached 3.1 billion euros, with a 14.4% growth in Italian exports), highlighting the margins for improvement, especially in the field of infrastructure and technology.
The Vice Minister Isarabhakdi, expressing his best wishes for the Republic Day, congratulated on the effectiveness of the Italian measures for the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, and projected a complete reopening of the flows of people in the near future. Isarabhakdi thanked for the assistance offered to the Thai community in Italy and hoped for a further sharing of “best practices” in health matters.
Di Stefano, thanking for the solidarity shown by Thailand, including the donation of two respirators, expressed Italy’s position in favour of a global effort for the vaccine, which should be distributed at cost price to the benefit of all.
Finally, the conversation offered the opportunity to make progress on many other dossiers, from EU-Thailand relations to economic and scientific cooperation.
