H. E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand co-chaired the 8th Meeting of the Thailand-India Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JC) on 10 October 2019, with H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Republic of India. 

The JC was preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on 9 October 2019, co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. Busaya Mathelin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand and H.E. Mrs. Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India. Both sides discussed about the existing and additional cooperation as well as the deliverables for the pending official visit to Thailand of the Prime Minister of India.

Both sides saw the importance of the complementarity in Thailand’s Look West Policy and India’s Act East Policy, particularly now that Thailand is Chairman of ASEAN and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations during 2018-2021. The two countries therefore should enhance bilateral cooperation in all dimensions as well as the concrete collaboration between the two regions linking the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Oceans. 

On bilateral cooperation, Thailand and India appreciated the constant high-level exchange of visits and dialogues between the two countries together with the close collaboration in defense and security field. On the economic front, they agreed that if trade growth between the two countries could be maintained at around 20% per year, the bilateral trade volume will reach USD 30 billion within 5 years (2024). Both countries also saw the potential benefits of the early conclusion of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). 

On connectivity, the two sides agreed to expedite seamless connectivity by land, sea and air. Maritime cooperation was also discussed as a potential area of cooperation. On socio-cultural relations, both sides will utilize the longstanding bond in civilization and culture for more tangible cooperation particularly between Thailand and the North Eastern Region of India. The strengthening of cooperation in science, technology and space, consular affairs and the pending MoUs and agreements have also been touched upon.

Regarding cooperation in regional and multilateral fora, both sides explored ways to enhance ties under ASEAN-India Framework, the United Nations, and regional cooperation, including Ayeyawady – Chao Phyaya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). Both sides also exchanged views on regional issues such as the Indo-Pacific, maritime cooperation and sustainable development. 

After the conclusion of the JC meeting, the two Ministers signed the Agreed Minutes of JC and witnessed the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Foreign Services Institute, Ministry of External Affairs of India. The MOU is with the objective to foster cooperation between the two countries in enhancing capacity-building for the personnel in the foreign services.