On 10 September 2026, H.E. Ms. Prinat Apirat, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN, attended the 11th ASEAN-Norway Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (ASEAN-Norway JSCC) Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat.

Ambassador Prinat proposed that ASEAN and Norway further promote economic cooperation, including digital economy, by leveraging the Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States and the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). She also highlighted cooperation in areas where ASEAN and Norway can benefit from each other, such as blue economy, particularly green shipping and sustainable fisheries, as well as green growth and renewable energy.

In addition, Ambassador Prinat underscored the importance of sustainable development cooperation and Thailand’s readiness, as the ASEAN Coordinator on Sustainable Development Cooperation and host of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), to work closely with Norway to further advance this important agenda.

Norway became ASEAN’s Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 2015 and submitted an application this year to become a full Dialogue Partner. ASEAN is currently considering the application.

Photo courtesy of the ASEAN Secretariat