India, Thailand commit to strengthening ties | World

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar (right) and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi (VNA) – India and Thailand have pledged
to strengthen their partnership at the 10th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting which
was co-chaired by India’s
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, who is on an official visit to India
from February 25-28.

During
the meeting, the officials assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral
cooperation, covering defence and security, trade and investment, connectivity,
science and technology, health, culture, and people-to-people exchange. The
two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual
concern.

They committed to deepening cooperation across sub-regional, regional, and multinational platforms, particularly within frameworks such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC and the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation and The Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong
Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).

Recognising the convergence between India’s Act East Policy,
commemorating its 10th year in 2024, and Thailand‘s Act West Policy, both
nations pledged to leverage their synergies. Jaishankar welcomed Thailand’s
role in co-leading the Maritime Ecology Pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans
Initiative (IPOI).

Investment in Thailand’s Land Bridge mega project and
waiving the visa requirement for Thais visiting India were among the topics up
for discussion during Parnpree’s visit
to India. Both sides
hope to increase trade and investment value to 35 billion USD by 2027./.