Thailand to uplift relationship with India amid PM Modi's visit, says Thailand MEA

Guwahati: Thailand will uplift its relations with India to a strategic partnership amid India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bangkok next week, an official of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.

Sources stated that, PM Modi and Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be discussing promotion of relations and cooperation, both at the bilateral, multilateral, and regional levels, during the meeting.

"Thailand will announce the elevation of relations to a strategic partnership during the official visit of the Indian Prime Minister to strengthen closer ties between Thailand and India in all dimensions", stated Jirayu Houngsub, spokesperson of the Thailand’s MEA stated.

It stated that the Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra and members of the cabinet will host an official welcoming ceremony for the Indian Prime Minister at the Government House on April 3, followed by a plenary meeting, the signing ceremony of agreements and MoUs, a joint press conference, and a luncheon hosted by the Thai Prime Minister in honour of the Indian counterpart.

MEA further stated that Thailand and India will also discuss cultural cooperation, which serves as a strong foundation for their relations, with a focus on people-to-people connections and tourism.

Both countries will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in various areas, such as political and defence cooperation, trade and investment, connectivity, science, technology and innovation, including space technology in which India excels, it stated.

MEA said that both leaders will also exchange views on the regional and global geopolitical issues of common interest as well as cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

“The bilateral ties are multifaceted and cover a wide spectrum of areas including trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Further, the ‘Act West’ policy of Thailand complements India’s ‘Act East’ policy,” the MEA added.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Thailand on the 3rd of April to participate in the 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) summit, a grouping that includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This will be the Prime Minister’s third visit to Thailand. 

"The upcoming visit will present an opportunity to build on the positive momentum in bilateral ties since the visit of Prime Minister Modi in 2019", an official stated.