What's behind Azerbaijan and Thailand's first consular consultations?
Azerbaijan-Thailand relations
On 11 June, Baku hosted the first consular consultations between the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Thailand.
The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Emil Safarov, head of the Consular Department at the Foreign Ministry, while the Thai side was headed by Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At first glance, the meeting may appear to be a purely technical event. In reality, however, consular affairs are among the areas of foreign policy that have the most direct impact on ordinary citizens. They cover issues such as lost passports, travel documents for returning home, emergency assistance, the detention or death of citizens abroad, evacuations and border-crossing procedures. As such, the consultations also suggest that Azerbaijan-Thailand relations are moving towards a more practical and sustainable level of cooperation.
Links between the South Caucasus and Southeast Asia are often overshadowed by larger geopolitical issues. Yet consular diplomacy is one of the clearest examples of how international relations affect people’s daily lives.
Simplified visa procedures, digital application systems, coordination during emergencies and the protection of citizens are among the areas that provide a tangible measure of how effectively countries cooperate with one another.
What was discussed?
During the consultations in Baku, the two sides reviewed the current state of consular cooperation between Azerbaijan and Thailand and discussed prospects for its further development.
According to official information, participants stressed the importance of expanding the legal framework governing bilateral cooperation, creating new mechanisms for engagement and strengthening the institutional foundations of cooperation in relevant areas.
Particular attention was paid to the evacuation of citizens during crises, the provision of emergency consular assistance and the digitalisation of consular services.
The meeting can be seen as a technical starting point for future developments in areas such as tourism, business cooperation, student exchanges and emergency management.
Diplomatic context of the consultations
The June meeting was not the first such contact between the two countries. As early as 11 October 2024, officials at Thailand’s Foreign Ministry discussed a range of issues with Azerbaijan’s newly appointed ambassador to Bangkok, including cooperation in tourism, education, trade and investment, the organisation of the first political consultations, a draft agreement on mutual visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic and service passports, the launch of direct flights and the holding of the first consular consultations. In that sense, preparations for deeper consular cooperation began in autumn 2024.
A new phase of the process started in December 2025. On 11 December, Thai Foreign Ministry representative Vijavat Isarabhakdi attended the official opening ceremony of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Bangkok. The Thai side described the event as an important step in the development of bilateral relations.
On the same day, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow congratulated Azerbaijan on the opening of the embassy and expressed readiness to expand cooperation in trade, investment, energy transition, renewable energy, agriculture, technology and transport connectivity.
The following day, 12 December, the foreign ministries of the two countries signed a memorandum on political consultations and held their first round of talks. Discussions focused on economic cooperation, trade and investment, agricultural development, the production and export of halal goods and services, energy, tourism, logistics and transport links.
The bilateral dialogue continued to develop on 20 April this year in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the 82nd session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. During a meeting between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow, the two sides reaffirmed their intention to deepen cooperation in the economic, trade, cultural and tourism sectors. The opening of the embassy and the first round of political consultations were described as important milestones in strengthening the institutional foundations of bilateral relations.
Against this backdrop, the consular consultations held on 11 June were a logical continuation of earlier initiatives and part of a broader, gradual process of developing Azerbaijan-Thailand relations rather than a one-off diplomatic event.
Why are tourism, mobility and digital consular services on the agenda?
Although there is no detailed and regularly updated public data on migration flows between Azerbaijan and Thailand, official developments suggest that both countries are preparing for an increase in travel between them.
In October 2024, the two sides discussed the possibility of launching direct flights and holding their first consular consultations. In January this year, the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau held meetings with around 30 representatives of Thailand’s tourism industry during the TITF B2B event in Bangkok, promoting Azerbaijan as a new and diverse destination for Thai travellers. In April, the two countries’ foreign ministers again identified tourism as one of the priority areas of cooperation.
Taken together, these developments indicate that the institutional groundwork is being laid for expanding tourism, business ties and potentially direct air links. Digitalisation is expected to play a particularly important role in that process.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry operates an electronic appointment system that allows users to book consular services online both at the ministry itself and at Azerbaijani diplomatic missions abroad. The ASAN Visa system also streamlines the process of obtaining an electronic visa by moving applications, payments and document submissions into a digital format.
Thailand has likewise announced that, since 1 January 2025, its THAI E-VISA system has been available to applicants worldwide. According to Thai officials, the system modernises and simplifies visa procedures, reduces paperwork and enables better integration of government databases. In addition, the Thailand Digital Arrival Card has replaced the traditional paper arrival form with an online system. Thai authorities say the change is intended to strengthen security, speed up immigration procedures and support public health management.
This helps explain why the digitalisation of consular services was highlighted as a separate topic during the consultations in Baku. In practical terms, it could mean shorter waiting times, faster document processing and more effective communication with citizens during emergencies.
What regional significance do these consultations have for Azerbaijan?
The broader significance of the consultations lies in Azerbaijan’s efforts to institutionalise its diplomatic ties with Asian countries. Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Thailand were established on 7 July 1992, but their active development has accelerated mainly since late 2024.
The opening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Bangkok, the signing of a memorandum on political consultations, the meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers on the sidelines of UNESCAP, and the first consular consultations together indicate that bilateral relations are moving beyond a symbolic level towards the creation of lasting mechanisms of cooperation.
Regional security and economic considerations also play an important role in this process. In December 2025, Thailand described both countries as key transport and logistics hubs within their respective regions. Logistics and transport connectivity featured prominently during political consultations, while the foreign ministers discussed cooperation within the UN, UNESCAP, CICA, ASEAN and other multilateral platforms.
This suggests that Azerbaijan is seeking to develop its relations with Asia within a broader framework of regional connectivity, multilateral coordination and economic corridor development.
The trend can also be viewed as part of a growing citizen-focused dimension in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. Creating more predictable conditions for tourists and businesses, while improving the state’s ability to respond to emergencies, aligns with the country’s efforts to prepare for a post-oil phase of development.
For Thailand, the process offers an opportunity to build a more effective consular presence in the South Caucasus, a region where its diplomatic engagement has traditionally been limited.
The key question now is what concrete results these consultations will produce.
Among the areas to watch are the simplification of visa and consular procedures, the expansion of the bilateral legal framework, the development of direct channels between relevant institutions, improvements to evacuation and emergency assistance protocols, and further progress in tourism cooperation, including the possible launch of direct flights.
Azerbaijan-Thailand relations
