Jaishankar, Thai counterpart discuss bilateral ties, multilateral cooperation

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa discussed bilateral ties, multilateral cooperation and regional developments during a meeting in Delhi on Saturday.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said Sangiampongsa's visit for the Royal Kathina ceremony "exemplifies the longstanding historical and cultural relations" between the two countries.

The Thai minister is scheduled to depart India on Sunday.

Jaishankar also shared pictures of the meeting at the South Block.

"Delighted to meet FM @AmbPoohMaris of Thailand today in Delhi. His visit for the Royal Kathina ceremony exemplifies the longstanding historical and cultural relations between our two countries. We discussed India-Thailand ties, multilateral cooperation and regional developments," he said.

Royal Kathina is a traditional Buddhist ceremony.

Sangiampongsa's first official visit to India was during July 11-13 for the second BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat, hosted by the external affairs minister in New Delhi.

On July 12, Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with Sangiampongsa and hosted a lunch in his honour.

During that meeting, the two ministers reviewed progress across various areas of partnership.

The two ministers also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and reiterated their commitment to closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora, the Ministry of External Affairs had said.

In accordance with the vision of the two prime ministers, the ministers reaffirmed the mutual desire for a stronger India-Thailand partnership, it had said.

Thailand is a key partner for India in the ASEAN. India's 'Act East' policy, which is in its tenth year, finds convergence with Thailand's 'Act West' policy. Interactions between Jaishankar and the Thai foreign minister have contributed to further strengthening of bilateral ties, it had added.