The Order of Malta’s Grand Chancellor, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, Grand Hospitaller, Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis, and Ambassador Michael Mann – in Bangkok to attend the Order of Malta’s eleventh Asia Pacific Conference (12-16 October) – were received on 12 October by Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand.

During the talks, 38 years of diplomatic relations and close cooperation between the Order of Malta and Thailand were recalled. The Deputy Prime Minister then illustrated the numerous international commitments his government has over the coming weeks. Firstly, the ASEAN Summit, scheduled from 10 to 13 November in Cambodia, followed by the G20 summit in the Indonesian capital Bali (15-16 November) and finally the APEC summit on 18 and 19 November, hosted by Thailand. Three very important events for the current international context, in which world leaders of this continent and beyond will meet up.

The situation in Ukraine was also discussed during the meeting. The Grand Hospitaller described the Order of Malta’s actions to support the Ukrainian population in their country and its assistance to Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries.

Both the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and the Order’s delegation appealed for peace, hoping that the entire international community would act responsibly in the face of military escalation and an increasing nuclear threat. Finally, the serious economic and social problems resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic were mentioned, affecting all nations proportionally, with more devastating effects on the most fragile.