On December 13th, 2017

Interview: Professor Natthanan Kunnamas on “FTA talks set to resume as EU restores relations”

“Natthanan Kunnamas, the Jean Monnet Chair and an EU expert at Chulalongkorn University, said the revitalisation of ties was a good sign that also corresponded with new events in the EU. The new ambassador and head of the EU delegation has just unofficially moved to Thailand, while the EU foreign policy is also leaning towards political pragmatism rather than its previous focus on humanitarian values, Natthanan said. Driven by Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the new approach tended to make the EU “realise that what they think is universal is sometimes not welcomed by host countries”, she said. This did not mean that the EU would contradict its own values, but negotiations would not be “much as hardline as before”. “The EU has combined development aid with political aid already. Thus this new approach of negotiations is interesting,” she added.”

(http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30333794)