Vice President Hamid Ansari to leave to Brunei, Thailand today

Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari will leave for Brunei Darussalam and Thailand this morning on a five-day tour on the invitation of the leaders of the host nations. It is to carry forward India’s bilateral engagements with the two key South East Asian nations. This will be the first ever visit of a Vice President of India to Brunei after establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations in May 1984. To Thailand, the visit at the level of a Vice President is happening after fifty years.

Enhancing cooperation in various regional and multilateral forums, strengthening traditional bonds in defence, security, health, space, science and technology and a host of other fields will be the focus of the talks during the visit. The Vice



President will be joined by Minister of State Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, four Members of Parliament and senior officials.

The itinerary of Mr Ansari includes his addresses in prestigious Universities of the two countries. Signing of MoUs in different fields is also expected during the tour.

Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit comes at a time when the two-way trade with the host countries is registering impressive growth. Both Brunei and Thailand remain key trading partners of India in the South East Asian region, though the trade balance is tilted towards the host nations. Brunei has all along been supportive of India’s positions on various issues and her bid for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council.