Prime Minister Hon. Jotham Napat returned to the country yesterday following his first official visit to France, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

During the visit, Prime Minister Napat held key bilateral meetings with President Macron, focusing on ongoing discussions concerning the Airbus negotiations and the boundary dispute over the Matthew and Hunter islands.

In a brief press statement today, Prime Minister Napat said the meetings with President Macron had “positive outcomes.”

“For the Deputy Prime Minister, it was a very successful and positive visit. More details will be shared in my official statement, especially regarding our maritime boundary and the Matthew and Hunter issue. We are still waiting for France to clarify its position, and there will be a joint press statement released on that. The Airbus issue was also very positive. The Deputy Prime Minister may have met with the Vice President of Airbus, and we are working to resolve this matter due to the commercial condition of the aircraft. We have tasked the DPM to complete the negotiations,” said Hon. Napat.

He added that further updates from the discussions will be shared as the country marks its 45th Independence Anniversary.

“I’m returning with positive notes, and much of this will be revealed during the independence celebrations.”

Prime Minister Napat also revealed that President Macron has already shared France’s position on the Matthew and Hunter issue, but details will be included in the upcoming joint press statement.