Bangkok/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met his Thailand counterpart  Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok during his official visit to the country.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Thai government released a special postage stamp depicting 18th century Ramayana mural paintings to mark the Prime Minister’s visit.

On arrival at the government house, Prime Minister was received by Prime Minister Shinawatra and accorded a ceremonial welcome. This was their second meeting.

Earlier, the two leaders had met on the sidelines of ASEAN ASEAN-related Summit in Vientiane in October 2024.

The two leaders reviewed the entire range of bilateral cooperation between India and Thailand. They discussed ways to further strengthen political exchanges, defence and security partnerships, strategic engagement, trade & investment, and people-to-people ties.

While doing so, they underlined the need to enhance connectivity, health, science & technology, start-up, innovation, digital, education, culture, and tourism collaborations.

They also discussed ways to deepen cooperation for countering transnational organised crimes including human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and cyber scams. The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on global issues and discussed ways of forging closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora, including BIMSTEC, ASEAN and Mekong Ganga Cooperation.

The two leaders witnessed the exchange of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of India-Thailand Strategic Partnership. They also witnessed exchange of MoUs in the fields of handlooms and handicraft; digital technologies; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and maritime heritage.

Both leaders also welcomed the establishment of an India-Thailand Consular Dialogue, which will further facilitate people-to-people contacts between the two countries. The List of Outcomes may be seen here.

Underlining the close cultural and religious connections between the two countries, Thaliand Prime Minister was presented him with a special edition of Buddhist holy scriptures TI-PITAKA in Pali by Prime Minister Shinawatra.

As a gesture to further deepen the close civilizational ties between India and Thailand, PM Modi offered to send Lord Buddha’s Relics excavated from Gujarat to Thailand for people to pay their respect.

Last year, the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha and two of his disciples travelled from India to Thailand, and over 4 million people paid their respects.

India and Thailand are maritime neighbours with shared civilizational bonds underpinned by cultural, linguistic, and religious ties, including those of Ramayana and Buddhism. India’s relations with Thailand are an integral pillar of New Delhi's ‘Act East’ Policy, an official statement said.