India, Thailand Firm up Maritime Ties
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Thursday, June 16, 2016
India and Thailand are set to firm up cooperation to combat terrorism, and boost maritime security, defence ties and trade during Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s maiden visit to India, reports PTI.
Prayut has earlier said that maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean would be put on the table for talks with his Indian counterpart. The expected cooperation will include military exercises, information exchange and operations to eradicate terrorism and piracy, he said.
India’s Vice-President Hamid Ansari told the leadership of Thailand that India-Thailand collaboration is necessary to ensure freedom of navigation and connectivity in the Southeast Asian region, says the South Indian news paper Hindu.
“As maritime neighbours, we have a shared interest in the security of international sea lanes of communication and commerce. Our resolve to strengthen our bilateral engagement in the areas of security and defence will help the region as a whole and promote regional economic integration and connectivity,” Ansari said while addressing the state banquet hosted in his honour by the Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha.
India and Thailand recently held a joint task force meeting in Delhi to deepen maritime and defence cooperation which covers a range of issues, including ocean safety, disaster management and anti-terror drills. The delegations also confirmed that India and Thailand will soon hold naval exercises in the Andaman Seas.