Bangkok, Mar 28: Thailand on Friday stated that the country's relations with India will be elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Bangkok, next week.

During their meeting, PM Modi and his counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be discussing promotion of relations and cooperation, both at the bilateral, multilateral, and regional levels.

"An elevation of relations to a strategic partnership will also be announced during the official visit of the Indian Prime Minister to strengthen closer ties between Thailand and India in all dimensions," stated Jirayu Houngsub, spokesperson of the Thai government.

Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra and members of the cabinet will host an official welcoming ceremony for the Indian Prime Minister at the Government House on April 3, followed by a plenary meeting, the signing ceremony of agreements and MoUs, a joint press conference, and a luncheon hosted by the Thai Prime Minister in honour of the Indian counterpart.

Both sides will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in various areas, such as political and defence cooperation, trade and investment, connectivity, science, technology and innovation, including space technology in which India excels.

Cultural cooperation, which is a strong foundation for Thailand-India relations, will also be discussed with a focus on people-to-people connections and tourism. Both leaders will also exchange views on the regional and global geopolitical issues of common interest as well as cooperation within multilateral frameworks, Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Prime Minister Modi briefly met Shinawatra on the sidelines of 44th and 45th ASEAN and Related Summits in Vientiane, last October. The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in various areas and also exchanged views on ways to forge closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora, including the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

PM Modi, accompanied by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Thailand in November 2019 to attend the 16th ASEAN and Related Summits. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi also addressed a community event 'Sawasdee PM Modi' which was attended by around 5000 members of the Indian community. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi visited Bangkok to pay tributes to late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in November 2016.

India and Thailand have historically enjoyed warm and cordial relations. In contemporary times, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1947 and both sides celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022.

"The bilateral ties are multifaceted and cover a wide spectrum of areas including trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Further, the 'Act West' policy of Thailand complements India's 'Act East' policy," the MEA states.

--IANS

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