The Washington Post published April 28 its interview Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow. The minister expressed frustration around the U.S.’ handling of the war in Iran and the ensuing economic disaster it has unleashed, saying that Thailand will “rethink some relationships.”
“I think they’re [the U.S.] aware that there are consequences from the war,” Sihasak said, referring to Trump administration officials. “But they haven’t come out to talk to us about how they can help. They haven’t approached us directly saying, ‘Oh, we understand that you have to endure the impact, and we can help you out.’” The only gesture, he said, is Trump offering Thailand to buy U.S. oil and gas.
“Our position is that this war should not have taken place in the first place,” Sihasak said. “We don’t want to condemn the U.S. directly. But this is something that should not have started.”
In light of this, Sihasak said Thailand has reached out to both Russia and China for help, both in the purchasing of fertilizer and fuels, as well as in navigating the tense situation with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“There’s a lot of unpredictability in the U.S. government policy,” Sihasak said. In comparison, China has presented itself as a more consistent partner to countries in Asia, he added. “It doesn’t mean that China doesn’t also behave as a superpower when it comes to core interests, right? But we know what those core interests are…. This is not about us taking sides in the geopolitical competition. It’s about what the U.S. is doing, which is forcing us to rethink some relationships.”
