On 31 August 2026, Ms. Somrudee Poopornanake, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs, met with German policymakers Mr. Olaf Lehne of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and Ms. Franziska Müller-Rech of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), both Members of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as representatives of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Thailand, as part of the ‘Visit to Thailand by German Policy Makers 2026’ Programme organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin.

Both sides exchanged views on Thailand’s and Germany’s positions and policies amidst the current geopolitical landscape and competition among major powers, as well as developments in Myanmar, Thailand-Cambodia border areas, and the Indo-Pacific. They also shared the aspiration to strengthen the Thailand-Germany partnership in areas of mutual interest, including economic and supply chain resilience, education and vocational training, peace and development in the Southern Border Provinces, as well as digital technology and efforts to combat online scams.