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Thailand organises series of events to mark 75 years of diplomatic ties with India

Thailand organises series of events to mark 75 years of diplomatic ties with India

India and Thailand Monday celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and in tune with the same a series of events and activities have been planned throughout this year to reflect the multi-faceted cooperation between both sides.

To celebrate the 75th year of relations between both sides, the Royal Thai Embassy has organized a series of celebratory events all throughout the year.

These include the textile seminar and exhibition in Varanasi, Kolkata and Delhi last month, and the painting exhibition at the Lalit Kala Academy in August, which have been supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The Embassy also plans to bring young entrepreneurs from the North Eastern Region of India to visit Thailand in September. The Thai Consulate-Generals in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, as well as Team Thailand offices, have also initiated various activities to celebrate this special occasion.

India and Thailand have historical and cultural roots dating back more than thousand years before the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The relations on the political side are closer and friendly at all levels. There have been regular visits from the Royal Thai family, exchanges of visits between head of governments, ministers and high-level officers from various agencies paving the opportunities for a closer cooperation in all areas such as military, security, trade and investment, culture, education, etc.

The ties between the two sides also extended to sub-regional, regional and multilateral levels, including Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, BIMSTEC and ASEAN-India.

The military and security relations are also constructive with regular high-level meetings and joint training and exercises between Army, Navy and Air Forces from both sides.

The sixth Thailand-India Foreign Office Consultations was convened in New Delhi earlier in April. This will be followed by the ninth Joint Commission meeting to be held in Bangkok later this month. Both high-level meetings will help to lay down ways forward to further enhance the dynamic cooperation and joint mechanisms in all areas.

Despite the great challenge posted by Covid-19 pandemic during the past two years, the friendship and cooperation between the two countries remain strong and resilient.

Thailand stood by India during the second Covid wave in April last year with the delivery of medical supplies, including oxygen cylinders and concentrators, from Their Majesties the King and the Queen of Thailand.

Likewise, India also supported Thailand with the same in times of crisis.

On the economic front, India is Thailand’s largest trading partner in South Asia and the 11th worldwide. The trade volume in 2021 reached almost 15 billion USD, recorded as an all-time high.

Currently, there are around 38 Thai companies investing in India in the fields of infrastructure, housing, agro-processing and automotive.

People-to-people connectivity between Thailand and India is also much stronger. Both countries, through their Tourism Authorities, have put efforts into utilizing their full potentials of “Amazing Thailand” and “Incredible India”.

Thailand remains India’s favorite travel destination as it only took five years, from 2015 to 2019, for the number of Indian tourists heading to Thailand to be doubled, from 1.03 million to nearly two million.

India ranks first among international air travelers to Thailand during the first of half this year.

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