India, Thailand upgrade links with strategic partnership | The latest India news

New Delhi: Thursday and Thailand have modernized their relationships with a strategic partnership, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra have explored ways to improve trade and investments and strengthen cooperation in defense, security and combating cyber crimes and human trafficking.

Narendra Modi and Paetongtarn Shinawatra have explored ways to improve trade and investments and to strengthen the cooperation in defense, security and combating cyber crimes and human trafficking. (PMO)

The two leaders met at Bangkok the day before the Bimstec summit, which will be hosted by Thailand on Friday. Thailand is among the key partners in India in the South Asia Nations Association (ASEAN), and the bilateral defense and security cooperation has increased constantly in the “Act East” policy in India.

Modi transmitted the deepest condolences in India for the loss of life in the earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand on March 28, at a common media interaction with Shinawatra and said: “Thailand has a special place in” East Act “policy and our Indo-Pacific vision. Today we decided to offer our relationships to form a strategic partnership. ”

Speaking in Hindi, he added: “We also discussed about establishing a strategic dialogue between our security agencies.”

With his eyes on China, Modi said that India fully supports the ASEAN unity and that the two countries support a free, open, inclusive and indo-Pacific rules. In the Asean region, as maritime neighbors, both parties have interests shared in regional peace, stability and prosperity.

“We believe in development policy, not expansionism,” said Modi, in a tacit reference to China’s increasingly affirmative posture in South and East Chinese brokes. He added in a socialization position that “act east” policies in India and Thailand “Act West” complement each other and open cooperation possibilities.

Modi said that, in the position of socialization, the two parties discussed cooperation in strategic fields such as defense, security, maritime safety and hydrography. “We also reiterated our commitment to work together to overcome the challenges of terrorism, money laundering and many more,” he said.

Expressing gratitude to the Thai Government for its assistance in repatriation of Indian citizens who were victims of the cyber cybernetic, Modi said at the media interaction that the two parties agreed that security agencies will work together to combat human trafficking and illegal migration.

Last month, Thailand played a key role in the repatriation of almost 550 of its citizens who were released by the cyber centers located along its border with Myanmar. The Indians were lured to Thailand or Myanmar with false job promises in the IT sector and were treated in the cyber centers, largely led by Chinese criminal bands, in the Myanmar border regions.

Modi said that the two parties also emphasized cooperation in tourism, culture, education between the northern -asthenic states and Thailand. They discussed ways to stimulate trade and investment and business exchanges.

“We decided to increase cooperation in renewable energy, digital technology, electronic vehicles, robotics, space, biotechnology and start-ups. Together with physical connectivity, works will be done to increase Fintech connectivity between the two countries,” he said. India has begun to issue E-VISAS for free to Thai tourists to promote people’s exchanges to people.

The two -way trade between India and Thailand, which is the second largest economy of ASEAN, was worth $ 16 billion in 2023, imports from Thailand representing $ 10.11. In the ASEAN region, Thailand is the fourth trade partner in India after Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In addition to a joint statement regarding the establishment of the Strategic Partnership, the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in digital technologies, a mou for the development of the national maritime heritage complex and a mou in cooperation in micro, small and medium enterprises.

The two parties have also completed two agreements related to the Northern -East states of India, including one of the Ministry of Development in the Northern region and the Thai Foreign Ministry and another between North -East crafts and the Handlooms Development Corporation and the creative economy agency in Thailand.

Modi also emphasized the old cultural and religious links between India and Thailand and said: “There was an exchange of scientists from Ayutthaya to Nalanda. The Ramayana story is deeply incorporated into the popular life, and the influences of Sanskrit and Pali are still reflected in languages and traditions.”

He mentioned that the holy relics of Mr. Buddha sent from India to Thailand last year were visited by over four million people. He has announced that the sacred relics found in Aravallis in Gujarat in 1960 will also be sent to Thailand.

He expressed gratitude to the Thai government for issuing a specially based stamp on the eighteenth -century Ramayana paintings to mark his visit and to present a special edition of Tripitaka, a collection of Buddhist scripts, which was published in 2016 to commemorate the reign of King IX.