EAM Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Thai Minister on Friday and hosted a lunch in his honour…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Thailand counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa reiterated their commitment to closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional, and multilateral forums.
Thailand Foreign Affairs Minister Sangiampongsa concluded his visit to New Delhi on Saturday.
The Thailand minister visited the national capital from July 11 to 13 for the 2nd Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat hosted by EAM Jaishankar and for his first official visit to India.
EAM Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Thai Minister on Friday and hosted a lunch in his honour.
During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed progress across various areas of partnership, covering political exchanges, defence and security ties, trade and investment opportunities, connectivity, science & technology collaboration, health cooperation, culture, and people-to-people interaction.
“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 said in a statement.
In accordance with the vision of the two prime ministers, the foreign affairs ministers reaffirmed the mutual desire for a stronger India-Thailand partnership.
Thailand is a key partner of India in ASEAN. The ‘Act East’ Policy of India, which marks its 10th year in 2024, finds convergence with the ‘Act West’ Policy of Thailand.
The interactions between the External Affairs Minister and the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs have contributed to the further strengthening of bilateral ties.
The BIMSTEC Retreat presented an opportunity for the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC nations to discuss avenues to broaden and deepen cooperation in various sectors, including security, connectivity, trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, etc in the Bay of Bengal region and littoral, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Thailand’s Bangkok on July 17, 2023.
BIMSTEC is a regional organisation that connects countries around the Bay of Bengal to promote economic growth, trade, and cooperation in areas like transportation, energy, and counter-terrorism. (ANI)
EAM thanks outgoing foreign secretary Kwatra
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked outgoing Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra for his dedication and contributions in the field of foreign policy and national security, as his tenure ended on Saturday.
EAM Jaishankar thanked Vinay Kwatra for helping strategize and execute many key policies in the last decade.
Jaishankar wished the outgoing Foreign Secretary the best for his future endeavours.
“Thank outgoing Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra for his dedication and many contributions in the field of foreign policy and national security. Particularly in the last decade, he has helped strategize and execute so many of our key policies. Wish him well in his future endeavours,” EAM Jaishankar said in a post on X.
Vikram Misri, who is currently serving as the Deputy National Security Adviser, has been appointed as India’s new Foreign Secretary.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal made by the Ministry of External Affairs for appointing Vikram Misri as the next Foreign Secretary, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra as Foreign Secretary.
Misri’s tenure as Foreign Secretary will begin on July 15 as the extension granted to Kwatra ended on July 14.
Kwatra had been given a six-month extension in March this year.
Misri, 59, has the unique honour of having served as private secretary to three Prime Ministers – Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997, Manmohan Singh in 2012, and Narendra Modi in 2014.
Born in Srinagar, Misri was India’s ambassador to China and played a significant part in discussions between India and China following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that resulted from the actions of the Chinese military in Eastern Ladakh. (ANI)
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