New pacts cement India-Thai relations

India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, left, walks with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha inside the Thai Khu Fah building at Government House after their meeting on Wednesday. Mr Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on him during his visit to attend the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting. Government House photo
India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, left, walks along with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha inside the Thai Khu Fah constructing at Government Home after their meeting on Wednesday. Mr Jaishankar paid the courtesy call on him during his trip to attend the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission payment Meeting. Government House photo

Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and India’s Ministry of External Affairs co-hosted the signing ceremony upon Wednesday for two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to improve bilateral connections.

Native indian Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was in Thailand to go to the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Conference as the two countries celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He also had a meeting with his Thai counterpart Add Pramudwinai. Later he or she paid a politeness call on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House.

The two agreements were signed after the meeting. One has been an MoU on Health and Medical Analysis cooperation between the Department of Medical Services, which falls below Thailand’s Ministry associated with Public Health, and the Indian Council of Medical Research of Department of Health Research, under India’s Ministry of Health insurance and Family Welfare.

The other MoU covers Cooperation plus Collaboration on Transmitting between Prasar Bharati, India, and the Thai Public Broadcasting Assistance (Thai PBS).

“We were talking during the combined commission on how we can strengthen our ties further and identify new areas of assistance in the post-pandemic period, ” Mr Jaishankar said.

He said they will promote bilateral exchanges in trading, tourism, joint exercises and training. Cyber safety and ICT had been also discussed, along with an agreement to re-energise economic institutional mechanisms such as setting up a combined trade committee and business forums.

Both edges also plan to market seamless connectivity including a 1, 400-kilometre trilateral highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand, he added.

Mr Don hailed the first Thailand-India ministerial meeting since the pandemic.

“Thailand plus India have been historical friends and we just celebrated the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations on Aug 1 . During the most recent meeting, we changed our views within a clearcut manner, inch he said.