On 14 May 2025, Mrs. Eksiri Pintaruchi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, welcomed Mr. Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, and Mrs. Betty Oyella Bigombe, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Thailand (resident in Kuala Lumpur), during their participation in the Thailand Development Forum for Africa (TDF) organized by the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) from 11 to 16 May 2025.

The two sides exchanged views on bilateral issues, particularly development cooperation in areas where Thailand has expertise and is ready to share with Uganda, including agriculture, fisheries, the precious minerals and gemstones industry, tourism, and food science. The Permanent Secretary reaffirmed Thailand’s strong commitment to promoting South-South Cooperation with partners in Africa, including Uganda.

The Ugandan side thanked Thailand for the initiative in organizing the TDF for senior officials from Africa and commended Thailand’s innovation in agricultural product processing and cage fish farming, as well as the collaboration between Thai industry and academia in research and innovation. Mr. Bagiire expressed a strong intention to apply these approaches and best practices in Uganda.

Additionally, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Uganda expressed gratitude to the Thai side for its assistance in facilitating the repatriation of Ugandan nationals who had been illegally recruited to work in Myanmar.