On 31 August – 4 September 2026, H.E. Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the capacity of Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, attended the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (55PIFLM) in Koror, the Republic of Palau.

The PIFLM is an annual meeting at the leaders’ level of the Pacific Island Countries to discuss and formulate the development strategy in the political, economic and sustainable development sector. The theme of the 55PIFLM is B.E.L.A.U. - Building Economies: Life, Action, Unity, and placing emphasis on practical implementation to support the transition towards renewable energy and to encourage financial support for the self-reliance of the Pacific Island countries.

The Special Envoy of the Prime Minister has also delivered an intervention in the Leaders Ascent Dialogue. The intervention covered (1) the role of Thailand as a donor of human resource development for Pacific Island countries (2) confirmation of the Prime Minister’s attendance to the Pre-COP31 meeting in the Republic of Fiji and (3) Thailand’s hosting of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting with an emphasis on issues of access to climate finance.

The Special Envoy held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, regarding the increase in trade and investments from Thailand, as well as the increase in people-to-people connectivity. The Special Envoy also held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Luis Planas Puchades, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of the Kingdom of Spain. The discussion covered Thailand’s Accession to the OECD, negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Thailand, as well as the official visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Kingdom of Spain.

Furthermore, the Special Envoy met with Ms. Anna Tsao-Abellera, General Manager of Western Caroline Trading Company, the oldest company in Palau which operates in both retail and wholesale businesses, as well as supermarkets that import Thai products. They also discussed the opportunity for trade expansion between Thailand and Palau.

The Special Envoy also met with the Thai community in Palau at Suriyothai restaurant, the only Thai restaurant in Palau.