On the 4th of October 2023, Mr. Sake Nopthaisong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East, and African Affairs, served as a distinguished guest speaker at a seminar titled "Expanding Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Middle East through Thai-GCC FTA and Thai-UAE CEPA." This seminar, meticulously organized by the Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with Bolliger & Company (Thailand) Ltd., convened at the Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai, Bangkok.

The seminar presented the research on the prospective establishment of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Thailand and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

On this occasion, the Deputy Director-General gave an overview on the bilateral relations between Thailand and the GCC, the dynamism of global politics, and Thai policy directions to drive the overall trade and investment cooperation. The Deputy Director-General emphasized the pivotal role towards having the Thai-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in fostering broader economic collaboration with the Middle East and beyond.