This week Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister of Thailand, is traveling to Brussels to attend to the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting, where in addition to discussing equality and economic growth with his regional counterparts, he will have the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, and Mr. José Manuel Durao Barroso, among other European officials.

From the outside, this visit may appear to be little more than common diplomacy, but for the Abhisit administration, a week in Brussels represents a vitally important opportunity to procure legitimacy from the European Union.

This article was cross-posted on the Thailand blog.