During the dialogue, the co-chairs will review the defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements….reports Asian Lite News
India and Thailand will hold the eighth defence dialogue on April 20 and 21 in Bangkok, which would be co-chaired by India’s Ministry of Defence Special Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma with Deputy Permanent Secretary for Defence, Thailand General Nuchit Sribunsong.
At the invitation of the Government of Thailand, India’s Ministry of Defence Special Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma will pay an official visit to Bangkok between April 20-21, 2023, said a government press release. During the visit, the Special Secretary will co-chair the 8th meeting of the India-Thailand Defence Dialogue with Deputy Permanent Secretary for Defence of the Ministry of Defence, Thailand General Nuchit Sribunsong on April 20, 2023, the PIB release said.
During the dialogue, the co-chairs will review the defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements.
The release further informed that both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest. As part of her visit, the Special Secretary will also call on Permanent Secretary for Defence of the Ministry of Defence, Thailand General Sanitchanog Sangkachantra.
India and Thailand share a strategic partnership and defence is a key pillar of this cooperation. The bilateral defence engagements have expanded over a period of time to include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries including Defence Dialogue meetings, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity-building and training programmes and bilateral exercises.
Growing India-Asean ties
India’s status among ASEAN nations is rising, according to a recent survey by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute which showed respondents stating that they would choose India to hedge against uncertainties of the US-China strategic rivalry, according to a reporti n The Eurasian Times.
India doubled its approval from 5.1 per cent to 11.3 per cent in 2023, taking the third spot out of six, followed by Australia, Britain, and South Korea. This comes despite India’s neutrality over the Russia-Ukraine war. The reasons for this change are three-fold. India started the “Look East Policy” in the 1990s, later upgraded to the “Act East Policy,” according to the report. The engagement, primarily political and economic, acquired a strategic dimension. India and the countries of South Asia share many threats and challenges, especially in the areas of non-conventional security, Eurasian Times reported.
India and Southeast Asian nations have been strengthening their defence and security relationship both at bilateral and multilateral levels to address such threats.
Defence cooperation with ASEAN members is now geared toward training fighter jet pilots and submarine crews in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, maintaining fighter jets in Indonesia, and exporting BrahMos supersonic missiles to the Philippines. This cooperation has improved India’s image in ASEAN countries lately, Eurasian Times reported.
The ‘Look East Policy’ of New Delhi was complimented by policies of Southeast Asian nations like the ‘Look West Policy’ of Thailand, and Singapore’s support for New Delhi’s engagement with ASEAN-led forums acted as an impetus that opened new avenues of engagement between India and the larger Southeast Asian region.
Building on this and other past engagements, India and Southeast Asia were able to foster a multi-dimensional relationship that is not only limited to bilateral ties but also multilateral engagement, Eurasian Times reported. (ANI)
