India Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Thai counterpart, H.E. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, in Bangkok today as part of his official visit to the country. The two leaders reviewed the entire range of bilateral cooperation between India and Thailand, focusing on strengthening political exchanges, defence & security partnership, strategic engagement, trade & investment, and people-to-people ties.
The Prime Ministers also discussed ways to further enhance connectivity, health, science & technology, start-up, innovation, digital, education, culture, and tourism collaborations. Furthermore, they underlined the need to deepen cooperation for countering transnational organised crimes, including human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and cyber scams.
Mr. Modi and Ms. Shinawatra witnessed the exchange of a Joint Declaration on the Establishment of India-Thailand Strategic Partnership and several MoUs in areas such as handlooms and handicrafts, digital technologies, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and maritime heritage. The two leaders also welcomed the establishment of an India-Thailand Consular Dialogue to facilitate people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
As a gesture of goodwill, the Thai government released a special postage stamp depicting 18th century Ramayana mural paintings to mark Prime Minister’s visit. Prime Minister Modi was presented with a special edition of Buddhist holy scriptures TI-PITAKA in Pali by Prime Minister Shinawatra. In an effort to deepen the close civilizational ties between India and Thailand, Mr. Modi offered sending Lord Buddha’s Relics excavated from Gujarat to Thailand, for people to pay their respects.
India and Thailand share a rich cultural heritage with shared civilizational bonds underpinned by historical, linguistic, and religious ties, including those of Ramayana and Buddhism. The Prime Minister’s visit is in line with India’s ‘Act East’ Policy, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, Vision MAHASAGAR, and its vision for the Indo-Pacific. This marks a significant milestone in the development of their relationship, which has been strengthened through sustained interactions between the two countries.
The outcomes of the meeting are listed here:
During the official visit of the Prime Minister of India to Thailand, several significant agreements and initiatives were announced, aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation. The following are the key outcomes from the visit:
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Joint Declaration on the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between India and Thailand, marking a new chapter in bilateral relations.
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Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India to enhance cooperation in the field of Digital Technologies.
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MoU between the Sagarmala Division, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (India), and the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture (Thailand) for collaboration on the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat.
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MoU between the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC) of India and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) of Thailand to promote cooperation in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
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MoU between the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), India, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, to enhance collaboration in development initiatives.
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MoU between the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd. (NEHHDC), India, and the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) of Thailand, fostering mutual support in creative industries and cultural exchanges.