Germany will provide €422 million (16 billion baht) to Thailand for projects aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change, Ernst Reichel, German Ambassador to Thailand, told the press on Monday.
In his first meeting with local media since taking up the post two months ago, Dr Reichel said addressing the threat of climate change is a priority for Germany.
As with Thailand, Germany has already witnessed the effects of climate change with dry summers and more frequent violent storms with severe flooding.
This is why Germany is looking to find ways to support other countries, including Thailand, to tackle such challenges, he said.
"We're facing the same challenges in the transition to a sustainable future," Dr Reichel said.
He said Thailand is among the top countries receiving financial support from Germany to tackle the issue.
Dr Reichel said the German embassy is organising a climate change conference on Dec 7 in Bangkok to address how Germany, Thailand and other countries can effectively combat this global threat.
The ambassador also spoke on the Israel-Hamas war and said that Germany supports Israel in exercising its right to self-defence following the Hamas terror attacks on Oct 7 that killed more than 1,400 people, including babies, women and the elderly.
Among those brutally killed were 34 Thai workers, while Hamas took a further 24 as hostages.
"Of course, we also hold Israel to the standard international humanitarian law, even though Hamas violates the same law in many ways," said Dr Reichel.
The ambassador also emphasised the critical issue of the Russia-Ukraine war, stating that Ukraine is fighting for its survival.
He pointed out that the Russian invasion violates the international security border established on principles outlined by the United Nations Charter.
Regarding Thailand's democracy, he said what he has observed is that convictions in cases related to the lese majeste law are continuing, and there is no clear change in that regard.
Before Thailand, Dr Reichel was the German ambassador to Greece. Thailand is his first assignment in Asia.
Dr Reichel has diplomatic experience in eastern and southeastern Europe, having spent 16 years of his career in Russia and the former Soviet Union.