Rio de Janeiro: ‘Maris’ joins BRICS in Brazil, confirms readiness to expand cooperation – shows Thailand’s role, ready to open Muay Thai activities, push Thai soft power abroad. Mr. Maris Sangiampong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the BRICS and Partner Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (BRICS Partnership Session) during the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 29 April 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Federative Republic of Brazil, at the invitation of Mr. Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. He revealed that he was very pleased to meet and discuss with the Brazilian Foreign Minister, who hosted the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting yesterday (28 April) in Rio de Janeiro, because BRICS is a group with great potential and dynamism. Therefore, he is confident that this BRICS meeting will be a success in every respect. BRICS consists of 3 countries that are Thailand’s largest tourist markets: China, India, and Russia, and they are also markets with high potential.
According to Thai News Agency,
Mr. Maris also stated that Brazil is a country that plays an important role, and Thailand is ready to expand bilateral cooperation with Brazil in various fields for mutual benefits, such as food security, public health, agriculture, and green energy.
This meeting is also an important opportunity for Thailand to participate for the first time as a BRICS partner country, which will provide Thailand with an opportunity to play a constructive role in promoting cooperation among developing countries.
Meanwhile, Mr. Maris also traveled to open the MUAYTHAI MASTER CLASS activity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is a collaboration between the Subcommittee on Driving the Sports Industry, the Sports Authority of Thailand, the Embassy in Brasilia, and the Brazilian Muay Thai Federation to teach Muay Thai skills to those interested in Muay Thai by famous and well-known Muay Thai boxers. The activity had more than 300 interested participants and he is confident that Muay Thai is another important soft power of Thailand
that is popular worldwide, can create real economic value, and will grow even more. The government sector is ready to fully support both in Thailand and abroad. He himself is very proud to have experienced the love of martial arts and Thai culture abroad, even though we are almost half a world away.