Parnpree shrugs off ‘EU sanction on Thai firm aiding Russia war effort’
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry says it has received no official notice that the European Union is poised to sanction a Thai company accused of aiding Russia’s war effort.
Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara was responding on Friday to rising public concern over a report that the EU will penalise a Thai firm, along with counterparts in China, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and other countries, for helping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on February 10 that it had seen a document of EU sanctions targets that include four military/tech firms from China and one each from Kazakhstan, Serbia, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey. Overall, there are 21 entities on the list, the rest of which are based in Russia.
Parnpree said the EU could decide on whether to punish companies for doing business with a certain country, but he believed the issue would not impact international relations or investor confidence.
He said the government had not received any official complaint from the EU but would consider any future complaint regarding trade on a case-by-case basis.
Parnpree also dismissed speculation that pending free trade deals with the EU have been postponed as the bloc pressures Thailand to cut trade ties with Russia. He added that no EU leader had mentioned trade disruption during his recent visit to Europe.
“Even if this is true,” he said of the sanctions report, “it would be a matter for the private sector, not the government.”
For the initiative in which Thailand aims to facilitate visa-free travel for its citizens to European Union nations, the minister, scheduled to visit Germany on February 21, expressed his intention to raise this matter for discussion. He emphasised his commitment to making every effort, but the final decision rests on the approval of all EU member countries.
He noted that several larger countries endorse the principle, while negotiations are ongoing with the remaining smaller countries.
While the group may concur in principle, specific details, including the timing of the opening, whether it will be mutual, and the duration of the opening, require further deliberation.
