Minister Lintilä on a Team Finland visit to Thailand on 20–22 August

Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will head a Team Finland visit to Thailand on 20–22 August 2018 to promote exports and internationalisation. The business delegation accompanying the Minister has 20 representatives from the energy, bioeconomy and digital technology sectors especially. This is the first official ministerial-level visit from Finland to Thailand in 14 years.

Thailand is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia and Finland’s second largest trade partner in the region. It is currently planning some major reforms that aim to develop digital economy and the harnessing of renewable energy sources, among other objectives. There is a demand for Finnish expertise in power grid, security and health technologies and in bioeconomy.

Minister of Economic Affairs Lintilä and the Team Finland business delegation will meet with Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Industry Uttama Savanayana, Minister of the Interior Anupong Paochinda, Minister of Science and Technology Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Energy Siri Jirapongphan as well as Director of Thailand’s National Innovation Agency Pun-Arj Chairatana. The delegation will have the opportunity to meet representatives of Thai enterprises during a reception hosted by the Finnish Embassy in Bangkok and in other meetings organised for the purpose.

On Tuesday 21 August, Minister Lintilä will give the opening address at an Investor Workshop organised by the EEP Mekong Programme, which is funded by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The business delegation will also meet with senior management from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to discuss cooperation opportunities in smart city projects.

On Wednesday 22 August, Minister Lintilä and the delegation will attend the Thai-Finnish Digital Day, organised in cooperation with Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency. Finland and Thailand will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding on digital and communication technologies to promote cooperation between the countries and the operating conditions of enterprises reciprocally.

Inquiries:
Akseli Koskela, Adviser to the Minister of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 46 9232 584
Heikki Karhu, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland in Bangkok, tel. +66 818 409 806
Jukka Tiitinen, Area President, Valmet Co., tel. +66 807 575 433 (head of the business delegation)

Embassy of Finland in Bangkok

on Facebook @FinnishEmbassyBangkok
on Twitter: @FinEmbThai

EEP Mekong Programme
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) 
Delegation of the European Union to Thailand
Thailand’s National Innovation Agency
Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA)