India and Thailand, located in each other’s extended neighborhood share a maritime boundary in the Andaman Sea

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday extended greetings to Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on the Southeast Asian country's National Day.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, "Felicitate Dy. PM and FM Don Pramudwinai and the Government and people of Thailand on their National Day. Greatly value our multifaceted relations based on shared culture and history. Thailand is a key partner in our Act East Policy."





India and Thailand, located in each other’s extended neighborhood, share a maritime boundary in the Andaman Sea. India’s bilateral relations with Thailand are rooted in history, age-old social and cultural interactions, and extensive people to people contacts.

In the past two decades, with regular political exchanges, growing trade and investment, India’s ties with Thailand have now evolved into a comprehensive partnership.

In November, a two-day long trilateral naval exercise, SITMEX-2020, involving India, Singapore, and Thailand was held in the Andaman Sea. It was scheduled in a "non-contact, at sea only format", in wake of the COVID-19 restrictions.

The primary aim of the exercise was to further consolidate interoperability between the three navies and also enhance understanding, sharing best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations.

This edition of the exercise involved a war-at-sea exercise, naval maneuvers, weapon firing on the surface and aerial targets, seamanship evolutions, and coordinated navigation operations.

The bilateral relationship between both sides has been furthered by regular high-level visits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Thailand counterpart Gen(ret.) Prayut Chan-o-Cha in 2019 on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit, 14th East Asia Summit(EAS), and 16th India-ASEAN Summit. Both leaders also met in 2018 on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore.