India and Thailand on Thursday, 29 October 2026, held fresh rounds of diplomatic consultations aimed at deepening bilateral ties across trade, commerce, and investment, as part of a wider push to consolidate the two nations' Strategic Partnership. The talks in Bangkok between India's Ambassador to Thailand, Puneet Agrawal, and Sirilak Niyom, Deputy Permanent Secretary in Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marked the latest in a series of high-level engagements spanning October.

Ambassadorial Talks in Bangkok

The Bangkok meeting on 29 October covered a broad range of issues aimed at advancing India–Thailand relations, with particular emphasis on economic linkages. Ambassador Agrawal and Deputy Permanent Secretary Niyom are understood to have reviewed the current state of bilateral trade and identified avenues for deeper commercial engagement, according to a post shared by the Indian Embassy in Thailand on X.

This came three days after Agrawal called on Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan on 26 October, where discussions centred on reinforcing the India-Thailand Strategic Partnership and widening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Parliamentary Engagement at BRICS Forum

On Tuesday, 27 October, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held talks with Thailand's Senate President Mongkol Surasajja in New Delhi, on the sidelines of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum convened at the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Complex in Parliament House on 26–27 October. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was also present at the meeting.

The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation across trade, tourism, education, defence, Ayurveda, and Yoga. They also explored deeper parliamentary cooperation, including sharing best practices and coordination on counterterrorism, disaster management, and international affairs within the BRICS framework.

'Delighted to meet H.E. Mr. Mongkol Surasajja, President of the Senate of Thailand, and reaffirmed the enduring friendship between India and Thailand, rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilisational ties,' Birla said in a post on X, adding that India's Act East Policy is providing 'fresh impetus' to the partnership.

Defence and Air Force Cooperation

Earlier, on 20 October, Ambassador Agrawal called on Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sakesan Kantha. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between the air forces of both nations through bilateral exercises, joint operations, and training programmes — signalling that the engagement extends well beyond the economic domain.

The Bigger Picture: Act East and BRICS

The flurry of India-Thailand contacts through October reflects a deliberate intensification of engagement under India's Act East Policy, which frames Southeast Asia as a strategic and economic priority. Thailand is a key ASEAN member and a growing node in regional supply chains, making it a natural partner as India seeks to diversify trade linkages and build defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Notably, the BRICS Parliamentary Forum provided an additional multilateral layer to what is an increasingly active bilateral track.

With multiple channels — ambassadorial, parliamentary, and military — now active simultaneously, both sides appear poised to translate dialogue into concrete frameworks in the months ahead.