India signs 5 MoUs with Thailand to elevate ties of strategic partnership during Modi’s Bangkok visit
BANGKOK : India and Thailand on Thursday upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership as Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra explored ways to enhance trade and investment and bolster cooperation in defence, security and countering cyber-crimes and human trafficking.
The two leaders met in Bangkok a day ahead of the Bimstec Summit to be hosted by Thailand on Friday. Thailand is among India’s key partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and bilateral defence and security cooperation has grown steadily within the framework of India’s “Act East” policy.
Modi conveyed India’s deepest condolences for the loss of lives in the earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on March 28 at a joint media interaction with Shinawatra and said: “Thailand has a special place in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and our Indo-Pacific vision. Today we have decided to give our relations the form of a strategic partnership.”
Both leaders held talks on various areas of bilateral cooperation and later witnessed the signing of several key agreements that added new vigor and dynamism to the longstanding friendship between the two nations.
Besides the Joint Declaration on the establishment of the India-Thailand Strategic Partnership, a MoU was also signed between the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India on cooperation in the field of digital technologies.
A MoU between Sagarmala Division of India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Thailand’s Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture was signed for the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat.
Another MoU between India’s National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC) and Thailand’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) was signed on cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises.
Two other key MoUs signed included between the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and between North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Limited (NEHHDC) of India and Creative Economy Agency (CEA) of the Government of Thailand.
In his remarks, PM Modi highlighted that India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Thailand’s ‘Act West’ complement each other very well and open up opportunities for bilateral cooperation in many fields.
“We have emphasised cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture and education between Thailand and the North-Eastern states of India. We discussed growing mutual trade, investment, and business exchanges. Agreements have also been made to foster cooperation in the areas of MSME, handloom and handicrafts,” PM Modi said during a joint press statement with the Prime Minister of Thailand.
“We have decided to strengthen cooperation in renewable energy, digital technology, e-vehicles, robotics, space, biotechnology and start-ups. In addition to enhancing physical connectivity, both the countries will work to boost FinTech connectivity,” he added.
The Prime Minister stated that the talks focused on ways to deepen the India-Thailand Strategic Partnership, including sectors in strategic areas such as defense, security, maritime safety and hydrography.
“We also reiterated our commitment to working together to overcome the challenges of terrorism, money laundering and more,” said PM Modi. During the discussions, Prime Minister Modi also expressed solidarity with the people of Thailand in the aftermath of the earthquake a few days ago. PM Modi also mentioned that India fully supports ASEAN unity and ASEAN centrality.
“In the Indo-Pacific, we both support free, open, inclusive and rule-based order. We believe in the policy of development, not expansionism,” said PM Modi.