Thailand and Finland Co-organise 2026 OSCE Asian Conference as Security Challenges Become Increasingly Digital and Cross-Border

Thailand and Finland Co-organise 2026 OSCE Asian Conference as Security Challenges Become Increasingly Digital and Cross-Border

(IN BRIEF) The 2026 OSCE Asian Conference will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, on 28 and 29 May 2026, with a central focus on the growing challenge of transnational threats in the digital era. Hosted by Thailand, an OSCE Asian Partner for Co-operation, and co-organised by Finland as the 2026 Chair of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group, the annual event will gather senior representatives from the OSCE, Thailand, Finland, Switzerland, the Philippines and partner regions. Key speakers will include Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, Finland’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Outi Holopainen, Markus Leitner of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Undersecretary Nestor Bautista Sanares in his ASEAN SOMTC capacity. A press conference is scheduled for 13:45 on 28 May, followed by opening remarks at 14:00. The conference will support dialogue between the OSCE’s 57 participating States and its 11 Partners for Co-operation from Asian and Mediterranean regions, including Thailand.

(PRESS RELEASE) VIENNA, 25-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The 2026 OSCE Asian Conference will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 28 and 29 May 2026, bringing together officials and representatives to discuss the rising impact of transnational threats in the digital age.

The annual conference is hosted by Thailand, an Asian Partner for Co-operation of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and co-organised by Finland, which chairs the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group in 2026.

This year’s discussions will focus on how governments and international partners can respond to security challenges that increasingly cross borders and are amplified by digital technologies. The event will serve as a platform for dialogue between OSCE participating States and partner countries from Asia and the Mediterranean region.

The conference programme will feature addresses from senior officials, including Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand; Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, OSCE Secretary General; Outi Holopainen, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland; Markus Leitner, Head of the Asia Pacific Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, speaking on behalf of the 2026 Swiss Chairpersonship of the OSCE; and Nestor Bautista Sanares, Undersecretary for Peace and Order of the Department of the Interior and Local Government of the Philippines, in his role as ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) Leader.

A press conference with Deputy Prime Minister Phuangketkeow, Secretary General Sinirlioğlu and Vice Minister Holopainen is scheduled for 13:45 on 28 May 2026. Journalists will also be able to attend the opening remarks of the conference from 14:00 on the same day.

Members of the media interested in attending are requested to RSVP before 27 May 2026.

The OSCE brings together 57 participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation from Asia and the Mediterranean region, including Thailand. Through the OSCE Asian Conference, the organization continues its engagement with partner countries on shared security concerns and cross-regional co-operation.

Communication and Media Relations Section
OSCE Secretariat
email: press@osce.org

SOURCE: OSCE