Paetongtarn defends ‘iPad diplomacy’ at Qatar summit

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has defiantly defended her decision to read out a statement in English off an iPad during her meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Ms Paetongtarn said on Monday she used the tablet to ensure that all messages were sent free of mistakes at international meetings, according to the government website.
“English is the language used in international meetings. It involves use of jargon, with legal implications and sensitivities in international relations,” she later told reporters. It was very common to read off a device like an iPad, all over the world.
Netizens have questioned the appropriateness of the prime minister, as a national leader, depending on an iPad during a bilateral meeting with the Iranian leader on Thursday. A video clip showed her looking at the device, reading out a statement, while Mr Pezeshkian attentively looked on, during their meeting in Doha, Qatar.
The clip showed the prime minister speaking in English, while the Iranian president spoke in Farsi, the official language of Iran, when it was his turn.
The meeting was on the sidelines of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit, with Iran in the chair this year.
It was not known if the prime minister also read from a tablet on other occasions during the meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. Ms Paetongtarn also held bilateral talks with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumthai Wechayachai defended the prime minister, saying the public should focus on substance over form, and deemed the criticism “nonsense”. 
“Substance is key to international negotiations, not things like iPads,” he said.
Ms Paetongtarn on Friday said she was satisfied with her first international exposure.
Thailand will take over as chair of the 35-member ACD next year.