India, Thailand ink six pacts

In his remarks after the meeting, the Prime Minister said, “We (India and Thailand) believe in development and not expansionism. We welcome Thailand’s decision to co-lead the ‘Maritime Ecology’ pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.” He said both nations believe in a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Prime Minister mentioned that Thailand has a “special place” in India’s Act East policy and also in India’s vision for the Asia-Pacific and focus on the unity and centrality of the Southeast Asian grouping Asean (of which Thailand is a member).

The Prime Minister thanked the Thai government for its help in rescuing Indian nationals who had been trapped by cyber-crime gangs in some of the Southeast Asian nations. He declared that the two nations had discussed the establishment of a security dialogue between their respective security agencies.

“We have agreed that our agencies will collaborate closely to combat human trafficking and illegal migration,” Mr Modi said, adding that the two nations will also work together to combat terrorism and money laundering.

Mr Modi also announced the strengthening of links in the fields of tourism, culture and education between India’s northeastern region and Thailand. He mentioned that India has started giving free e-visas to Thai tourists. He also conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims of the recent earthquake that affected parts of Thailand, including the capital Bangkok, resulting in casualties.

At the delegation-level talks, India and Thailand inked six pacts, including in the fields of digital technologies, culture, MSMEs and handlooms and handicrafts. Strategic areas such as defence, security, maritime safety and hydrography also figured in the talks, which covered mutual trade, investment and business exchanges. The two countries also decided to strengthen ties in digital technologies, electric vehicles, robotics, space, start-ups, biotechnology and fintech connectivity.

In his remarks after the meeting, the Prime Minister strongly emphasised the millennia-old cultural bond between the two nations arising from Buddhism, the epic Ramayana and the Sanskrit and Pali languages.

Mr Modi was presented the Buddhist holy scriptures “Tipitaka”, containing the teachings of Lord Buddha in the Pali language, by Ms Shinawatra. On his part, Mr Modi announced that Buddhist relics found in 1960 in Gujarat’s Aravali will be sent to Thailand for an exposition and added that more than four million Thai Buddhist devotees had seen and had offered their tributes to the Buddhist relics sent last year as part of an exposition to Thailand from India.

Mr Modi reached Bangkok on Thursday to participate in the sixth Bimstec Summit on Friday. “I am eager to participate in the Bimstec summit tomorrow. Under Thailand’s chairmanship, this forum has gained new momentum towards regional cooperation,” he said.

Mr Modi arrived in Bangkok to a warm welcome and was also given a rousing welcome by members of the Indian community there. Later, he witnessed a cultural performance of the Thai Ramayana.

“There have been exchanges of scholars from Ayutthaya to Nalanda. The story of Ramayana is deeply rooted in Thai folklore. And the influence of Sanskrit and Pali continues to resonate with our languages and traditions today… I am grateful to the government of Thailand for releasing a special postage stamp based on the 18th-century Ramayana mural paintings as part of my visit,” Mr Modi said.