India, Thailand support free, open, inclusive, rules-based order in Indo-Pacific: PM Modi

India and Thailand on Thursday decided to elevate their relations to the level of a strategic partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that both the countries support a free open inclusive and rulesbased order in IndoPacific and believe in a policy of development not expansionismModi made the remarks at a joint press event with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra after holding delegationlevel talks during which they held extensive discussions on various areas of bilateral cooperationWe have emphasized cooperation in the fields of tourism culture and education between Indias northeastern states and Thailand We discussed enhancing mutual trade investment and exchanges between businesses Modi said about his talks with ShinawatraAgreements have also been made for cooperation in MSME handloom and handicraft he notedModi asserted that Thailand holds a special place in Indias Act East Policy and the IndoPacific visionToday we have decided to elevate our relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership Discussions were also held on establishing a Strategic Dialogue between security agencies Modi saidHe said India fully supports ASEAN unity and ASEAN CentralityIn the IndoPacific we both support a free open inclusive and rulesbased order We believe in the policy of vikaasvaad not vistaarvaad developmentism not expansionism Modi saidI am grateful to the Thai government for issuing a special postage stamp based on the 18thcentury Ramayana mural paintings on the occasion of my visit he saidModi said Prime Minister Shinawatra presented him with the TripitakaOn behalf of the Buddhaland India I accepted it with folded hands he addedThe centuriesold relationship between India and Thailand is tied to their deep cultural and spiritual threads he saidThe spread of Buddhism has connected our people at every level Modi saidThere has been an exchange of scholars from Ayutthaya to Nalanda The tale of the Ramayana is deeply woven into Thai folk life he saidAnd the influence of SanskritPali is still reflected in the languages and traditions today he saidModi also conveyed condolences on behalf of Indians on the loss of lives caused by the earthquake on March 28We pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured he saidModi who arrived here on a twoday visit to attend the 6th BIMSTEC summit earlier received a Guard of Honour and also witnessed a mesmerising Ramakien Thai Ramayana performanceThe Prime Minister will later join the BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation leaders from Thailand Bangladesh Sri Lanka Nepal Myanmar and Bhutan to oversee the signing of the Agreement on Maritime CooperationAfter concluding Thailands visit he will travel to Sri Lanka for his first visit to the island country since the election of its new presidentThe BIMSTEC summit will bring Modi face to face with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing among othersIn a departure statement Modi described BIMSTEC as a significant forum for promoting regional development connectivity and economic progress in the Bay of Bengal region over the past decadeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever