India values Thailand as long-time friend, important maritime neighbour: Jaishankar

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with his visiting Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow, during which he emphasised the long-standing friendship between the two nations, calling Thailand “a very important” maritime neighbour of India.

In his opening remarks on Monday, Jaishankar welcomed Sihasak Phuangketkeow, expressing his gratitude for accepting the invitation to visit India, made on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit held in October of this year.

Reflecting on India’s ties with Thailand, Jaishankar mentioned PM Modi’s visit to Bangkok in April 2025 for the BIMSTEC Summit, during which the two nations elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.

“A very warm welcome to you and to your delegation on your first official visit as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. We had a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. At that time, we agreed that we would meet for a more detailed discussion. I’m glad that you could accept my invitation and be here today.” Jaishankar said during his opening remarks.

“I take the opportunity to convey our respects for the good health of the Majesties and for the Thai National Day on November 5. India and Thailand have historically shared close and friendly ties. We value Thailand as a long-time friend, apart from being a very important maritime neighbour. India’s Act East policy has found a match in Thailand’s Look West policy. Our ties were elevated to a strategic partnership during PM Modi’s visit to Bangkok in April 2025 for the BIMSTEC Summit. Several agreements, including in the field of handlooms and handicrafts, digital technologies, MSMEs and maritime heritage, were signed,” he added.

According to the Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides welcomed the progress of Thailand-India cooperation in areas of mutual interest and benefit.

These areas include political cooperation, bilateral and multilateral trade and investment, connectivity, startups, science, technology, innovation and space, according to the Thailand Ministry statement.

Moreover, Thailand’s Foreign Minister requested India’s support for Thailand’s interest in joining BRICS during India’s Chairmanship of BRICS in 2026.

Both sides also discussed foreign policies amidst current geopolitical challenges. Thailand reiterates its readiness to cooperate with India in various multilateral frameworks to strengthen regional integration.

S Jaishankar stressed the need to exchange “views on pressing issues regularly,” and discussed Myanmar.

“Given the rapidly evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic environment which impacts both of us, we believe that a regular exchange of views on pressing issues is very useful. We have many common interests in our region. I look forward to a deep discussion on the situation in Myanmar during your stay,” he said.

Earlier, the Thai Minister had called for deeper cooperation between the two countries to combat a surge in transnational cyber-scam networks and called for urgent coordinated action with India to counter the rapid expansion of cyber-scam syndicates operating along Thailand’s borders with Myanmar and Cambodia.

In an interaction, the minister raised alarm over the rapid spread of cyber-scam operations along Thailand’s borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, describing the problem as “becoming more serious.”

He revealed that during a recent crackdown on scam syndicates, over 1,000 Indian nationals fled to Thailand, prompting the Thai authorities to provide emergency assistance. Many more, he noted, are believed to be trapped in scam hubs run by criminal networks across the region.

Calling cyber scams a shared threat, he stressed that “Thailand and India will have to work together,” adding that broader regional and international cooperation is essential.

During the bilateral meeting, both sides discussed joint efforts to address emerging threats, including online scams and assistance to Indian victims.

Thailand extended an invitation to India to join the International Conference on Global Partnerships to Combat Online Scams and expressed its interest in co-hosting the event from 17 – 18 December 2025 in Bangkok to further discuss international cooperation on this issue, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry. (ANI)