Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow on 16 March 2026 held telephone conversations with Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, and H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. 

The Thai Foreign Minister expressed appreciation to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their assistance in ensuring the safety and evacuation of Thai nationals to Thailand, as well as the UAE’s facilitation for the 20 crew members of the vessel “Mayuree Naree” to transit through Oman on their return to Thailand.

He also conveyed concern over the situation in the Middle East, and expressed hope for a peaceful resolution, while reaffirming Thailand’s readiness to support diplomatic efforts by Bahrain, the UAE, and regional partners toward achieving peace, as well as ASEAN’s efforts, including the recently held Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Situation in the Middle East.

On this occasion, the Bahraini and UAE sides shared their views and updates on the situation in the Middle East. They expressed concern over the incident involving the vessel “Mayuree Naree,” while reaffirming the importance of freedom of navigation in the region.