Srettha urges peaceful end to Israel-Hamas war at 1st Asean-Gulf Council Summit
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Friday called for an end to violence in Israel and Gaza and the unconditional release of hostages held during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Thai leader made his remarks while attending the first Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Srettha voiced his condolences on Thailand’s behalf for the loss of life in the ongoing armed conflict. Among the victims were at least 30 Thai nationals killed in Israel during the attack launched by Hamas militants on October 7.
PM Srettha called on all sides involved to end the violence and solve their conflict through diplomatic and peaceful means, Thai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Friday.
Fellow Asean leaders from other countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, also called for peaceful solutions to the conflict. Some leaders from predominantly Muslim states condemned the violence against Palestinian civilians.
Leaders of member countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) convened for the first time for a historic summit in the Saudi capital.
The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Asean’s 10 member states are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In his speech on “Innovative Partnership for a Sustainable Future”, PM Srettha reaffirmed Thailand’s support for closer ties and cooperation between the two regional blocs.
The Thai leader also called for the creation of an Asean-GCC Business Forum and a free trade agreement (FTA) between Thailand and the GCC.
He also suggested closer people-to-people ties between the member countries of Asean and GCC, pushing for more tourists from Gulf states, the spokesman said.
Srettha told the meeting that Thailand had set a target of doubling the number of visitors from GCC states within two years, up from almost 300,000 arrivals in 2022. He also pointed to Thailand’s strength in health and wellness tourism.
