Thailand will foster more international partnerships and promote Muay Thai as a form of soft power, said Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa after attending a Brics meeting of leading emerging market economies in Brazil.
Mr Maris on Tuesday participated in the Brics Foreign Ministers meeting as part of the Brics Partnership Session in Rio de Janeiro at the invitation of his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira.
The group has 11 member countries, including three that are hugely popular destinations among Thai tourists -- China, India and Russia -- and hold great economic potential.
Mr Maris said Thailand is ready to expand bilateral cooperation with Brazil in food security, public health, agriculture and green energy, among other areas.
This marks Thailand's first official participation in a Brics meeting as a partner country, which Mr Maris described as a valuable opportunity for it to contribute to fostering cooperation among developing nations.
At present, the Brics members also include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
In parallel with the meeting, the minister attended the opening ceremony of the Muay Thai Master Class in Rio de Janeiro -- a collaborative effort involving Thailand's subcommittee on sports industry promotion, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), the Thai Embassy in Brasília and the Brazilian Muay Thai Confederation.
The event featured renowned fighters teaching skills to over 300 participants.
Mr Maris said Muay Thai is one of Thailand's strongest forms of soft power as it is popular worldwide and has strong economic value and great growth potential. The government is fully committed to supporting it domestically and internationally, he said.
Meanwhile, Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is scheduled to visit Thailand as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from May 1-3.
This will be Mr Cormann's second visit since the commencement of Thailand's OECD Accession Process.
He will hold discussions with senior representatives from the government and legislative branch, and participate in the 7th OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum, co-hosted by Thailand and the OECD on May 2. The event will be held under the theme of "The OECD and Southeast Asia: Partnership for Prosperity".
The OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum is a platform for dialogue under the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP), which Thailand co-founded in 2014.
This marks the third time Thailand has co-hosted the event. The kingdom will share its successful experiences of close engagement with the OECD at various levels to foster greater cooperation between the organisation and Southeast Asia.
Thailand commenced its accession process to the OECD in 2024, aiming to improve the country's competitiveness and increase people's incomes.