At the invitation of External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, embarked on an official visit to India from February 25th to 28th, 2024. This visit marks Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara’s first official trip to India since assuming office.
During the visit, the visiting Minister have held several key engagements.
A pivotal moment of the visit occurred on February 27th when External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar co-chaired the 10th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with Thai Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, followed by a luncheon in his honor. The JCM served as a platform to review progress across various sectors of bilateral cooperation, encompassing defense and security, trade and investment, connectivity, science and technology, health, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Additionally, both leaders exchanged perspectives on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest, underscoring their commitment to further enhancing cooperation within ASEAN, BIMSTEC, MGC, ACMECS, and IMT-GT frameworks.
Highlighting the convergence of India’s Act East Policy and Thailand’s Act West Policy, the ministers affirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-Thailand partnership. Moreover, they welcomed Thailand’s co-leadership role in the Maritime Ecology Pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), underscoring their joint resolve to advance the initiative.
Expressing gratitude, the Thai Deputy PM and Foreign Minister commended India’s gesture of sending the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples to Thailand for exposition, offering millions of Thai nationals an opportunity for reverence.
Noteworthy agreements were also reached during the visit, including the signing of Agreed Minutes and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India’s National Institute of Ayurveda and Thailand’s Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, facilitating academic collaboration in Ayurveda and Thai Traditional Medicine.
Furthermore, the Thai Deputy PM and Foreign Minister paid a courtesy call on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the visit, further strengthening diplomatic ties between the two nations.
