The cabinet met on March 21, 2023. Some of the resolutions are as follows:
The cabinet acknowledged the Royal Decree on Dissolution of House of Representatives, B.E. 2566, approved by Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, on behalf of the cabinet. The Royal Decree is announced in the Royal Gazette on March 20, 2022.
The Royal Decree on Dissolution of House of Representatives, B.E. 2566 prescribes dissolution of the House of Representatives for a new general election of Members of the House of Representatives. Within five days from the date the Royal Decree under paragraph one comes into force, the Election Commission shall specify, by notification, the date of a general election in the Government Gazette, which must be no earlier than forty-five days but no later than sixty days from the date such Royal Decree comes into force. Such election date shall be the same throughout the Kingdom.
The cabinet acknowledged the report of Ministry of Culture on the implementation according to the cabinet?s resolution on promotion of soft power.
According to the report, the progress has been made on: 1) promotion of national image through entertainment media; and 2) promotion of soft power in cultural dimension.
For promotion of national image through entertainment media, a sub-committee on promotion of national image through entertainment media as soft power was established, and a draft action plan on promotion of national image through entertainment media as soft power has been developed. For promotion of soft power in cultural dimension, a sub-committee on promotion of soft power in cultural dimension was established, and a draft action plan on promotion of soft power in cultural dimension for socio-economic development (2023-2027) has been developed.
The cabinet acknowledged outcome of the visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit and the delegation during February 6-8, 2023.
The Deputy Prime Minister met with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade to discuss the following matters:
1) Thailand and UAE came to terms to finalize Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) within 6 months. At present, UAE has made Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with 3 countries, namely India, Israel, and Indonesia, and, other than Thailand, has been in the process of CEPA negotiation with Turkey, Cambodia, and South Korea.
2) Thailand and UAE agreed to promote mutual trade and investment through the establishment of Thai-UAE Business Council. UAE is interested in investing in Thailand in the fields of infrastructure industry, digital, and food security.
3) UAE was called on to endorse Thailand's bid to host the Specialised Expo ?Expo 2028 Phuket Thailand?, on which the decision will be made by Bureau International des Expositions in June 2023.
The Deputy Prime Minister also witnessed the signing of agreements and MOU between the Thai and UAE private sectors: 1) Purchase agreements between 5 Thai companies and respective UAE counterparts in 4 products, namely, food, sanitary ware and ceramic tiles, automotive parts, and melamine products, worth total 1.33 billion Baht; 2) Signing on an establishment of Thai-UAE Business Council, through which the revenue of 30 billion Baht is expected to be generated; and 3) MOU on logistics cooperation between DP World, UAE?s logistics company, and the Thai counterpart under the program ?World Logistics Passport?.
The Deputy Prime Minister?s visit to UAE is expected to generate total mutual trade value of 31.33 billion Baht. Ministry of Commerce also plans to complete a feasibility study on CEPA by the 4th quarter of 2023. CEPA between Thailand and UAE has earlier been approved by the cabinet on February 28, 2023.
The cabinet acknowledged the signing of MOU on Cooperation between Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand and Hungarian Diplomatic Academy (HDA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, as proposed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The MOU on Cooperation between Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand and Hungarian Diplomatic Academy (HDA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary aims to establish and further develop the cooperation in the field of diplomatic training, the exchange of information and publications as well as academic activities relevant to diplomacy and international affairs. The MOU will also promote networking of Thai and Hungarian diplomats.
Thailand and Hungary will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023. Relations and cooperation in the last 10 years have become more dynamic.
Source: Cabinet Meeting (Prayut Chan-o-cha) Mar 21, 2023