PM Modi to attend BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, today. The theme of the Summit is “BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open.” The Bangkok Vision 2030 will be adopted at the Summit, and the Report of the BIMSTEC Eminent Persons’ Group will also be endorsed to chart the future direction of BIMSTEC. 

 

BIMSTEC brings together seven countries located in the Bay of Bengal – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Bay of Bengal is the heart of the Indian Ocean Region. BIMSTEC is the only regional organization, which brings together five countries from South Asia and two countries from Southeast Asia. BIMSTEC represents a significant share of the global population, GDP and external trade. India is one of the four founding members of BIMSTEC. India’s close bilateral relations with other BIMSTEC member States enable India to play a leading role in forging regional cooperation.  BIMSTEC signifies the confluence of 3 key strands of India’s foreign policy – Neighbourhood First Policy, Act East Policy and SAGAR. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi. 

 

Prime Minister Modi reached Bangkok on a two-day visit to Thailand yesterday. He held bilateral talks with his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra. They reviewed the entire range of bilateral cooperation between India and Thailand. They discussed ways to further strengthen political exchanges, defence and security partnership, strategic engagement, trade and investment and people-to-people ties. They underlined the need to enhance connectivity, health, science and technology, start-up, innovation, digital, education,



culture and tourism collaborations. 

Both leaders also discussed ways to deepen cooperation for countering transnational organised crimes, including human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and cyber scams. The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on global issues and discussed ways of forging closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora, including BIMSTEC, ASEAN and Mekong Ganga Cooperation.

 

Mr Modi and Mr Shinawatra witnessed the exchange of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of India-Thailand Strategic Partnership. They also witnessed the exchange of MoUs in the fields of handlooms and handicraft, digital technologies, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and maritime heritage. Both leaders also welcomed the establishment of an India-Thailand Consular Dialogue, which will further facilitate people-to-people contact between the two countries.

 

Following the BIMSTEC Summit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Sri Lanka later today for the second leg of his two-nation tour. During the three-day state visit, Mr Modi will hold bilateral talks with President Anura Kumara Disanayake. Earlier, President Disanayake had paid a State Visit to India as his first visit abroad after assuming office. This will be the Prime Minister’s fourth visit to Sri Lanka during his tenure in office. The India-Sri Lanka relationship is rooted in deep civilizational links based on shared ties of history, religion, culture, and strong people-to-people ties. Sri Lanka is an integral part of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, and the relationship has stood the test of time.