On 3 July 2026, Ms. Somrudee Poopornanake, Acting Director-General of the Department of European Affairs, and Mr. Jari Sinkari, Director-General of the Department for Asia and Oceania, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, co-chaired the 6th round of Thailand - Finland Political Consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations, built over seven decades, through continued high-level exchanges. They held productive discussions on enhancing cooperation in several key areas, including the protection of Thai berry pickers in Finland, education, the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy, digital technology, innovation, and startup development. The two sides also explored opportunities to expand trade and investment, discussed the ongoing negotiations for the Thailand - EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and exchanged views on cooperation in international organisations and candidatures to international organisations. They highlighted the successful co-chairing by Thailand and Finland of the 2026 OSCE Asian Conference during 28 - 29 May 2026 in Bangkok and Finland’s support for Thailand’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

On this occasion, the Acting Director-General of the Department for European Affairs hosted a working dinner for the Finnish delegation. The discussions also covered regional and global issues, including developments in Thailand - Cambodia Border situation, Myanmar, ASEAN, the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific region and the situation in Ukraine.