5 countries’ representatives walk out when Russian official speaks in Bangkok

Thailand may be claiming ‘neutrality’ following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but representatives of 5 countries at a Bangkok event today certainly weren’t. Two Thai officials and 2 international diplomats told Reuters that at the Apec trade ministers’ meeting in Bangkok today, representatives of 5 countries walked out when Russia’s economic development minister Maksim Reshetnikov was speaking.

The 5 who walked out were representatives of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the US.

Representatives from 21 countries attended the meeting, which aims to discuss economic prosperity. A Thai government source said the representatives walked out in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In the future, Thailand might see more protests like this. Thailand is the current chair of Apec, and is scheduled to hold a summit of the group’s leaders in November. It is…