Bangkok, April 3 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra initiated bilateral talks in Bangkok on Thursday afternoon. The objective of these discussions is to not only assess existing bilateral cooperation but also to outline a roadmap for future collaboration between the two nations.

The relationship between India and Thailand is poised to be upgraded to a Strategic Partnership following these discussions.

This marks PM Modi's second encounter with the Thai leader, having previously met her during the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane in October last year. Both leaders will evaluate the progress of their bilateral relations and explore avenues to enhance the India-Thailand partnership. They will also share perspectives on regional and multilateral issues, alongside witnessing the signing of several bilateral agreements.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Bangkok for the third time, invited by PM Shinawatra to attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, which is scheduled for Friday, with Thailand serving as the current BIMSTEC Chair, along with his Official Visit.

This is PM Modi's third visit to Thailand. He previously participated in the ASEAN and East Asia Summit held by Thailand in November 2019 and earlier traveled to Bangkok in November 2016 while en route to Tokyo to pay tribute to the late King Rama IX.

India and Thailand share maritime boundaries and have deep-rooted civilizational ties, enriched by cultural, linguistic, and religious connections.

"During my official visit, I will engage with Prime Minister Shinawatra and the Thai leadership, united in our aim to elevate our historic ties, founded on shared culture, philosophy, and spiritual beliefs," PM Modi expressed in his departure statement early Thursday.

Thailand is also a vital partner for India in the 'Act East' policy, the Vision for the Indo-Pacific, and in BIMSTEC. The ties between both nations are diverse, encompassing collaboration in defense and security, trade and investment, connectivity, science and technology, innovation, education, space, health, culture, tourism, and exchanges among people.

"Thailand ranks as the third-largest economy within ASEAN and is our fourth-largest trading ally, trailing behind Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Our trade volume is nearly $15 billion, with exports to Thailand around $5 billion and imports from Thailand close to $10 billion," stated Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) prior to the Prime Minister's official visit.

"Last year, at Thailand's request, India sent the sacred relics of Lord Buddha and two of his primary disciples for a 25-day exposition across five cities in Thailand, from February 25 to March 9. Approximately four million people paid their respects to the relics. This unprecedented success reaffirmed our enduring religious and cultural bonds," he added.

This will also be the inaugural in-person meeting of BIMSTEC Leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The last BIMSTEC Summit took place in March 2022 in a virtual format, hosted by Sri Lanka. The theme for this summit is 'BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open'. Leaders are expected to discuss strategies to enhance BIMSTEC cooperation during the summit.

Leaders from the Bay of Bengal nations are also anticipated to deliberate various institutional and capacity-building measures to strengthen collaboration within the BIMSTEC framework. India has initiated numerous projects within BIMSTEC to bolster regional cooperation and partnership, including enhancing security, facilitating trade and investment, establishing physical, maritime, and digital connectivity, collaborating in food, energy, climate, and human security, promoting capacity building and skill development, and enriching people-to-people ties.