India & Thailand elevate their bilateral ties to Strategic Partnership

India and Thailand have agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership. This was agreed during the meeting of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Thailand's Prime Minister Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok on 3rd April 2025.  India and Thailand also signed five Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to deepen bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-nation tour of Thailand and Sri Lanka from 3-6 April 2025. 

Prime Minister’s visit to Thailand 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Thailand on 3rd and 4th April 2025.

This was the third official visit of Prime Minister Modi to Thailand. He first visited Thailand in 2016 and again in 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Thailand was both a bilateral visit as well as he attended the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, held in Bangkok, Thailand on 4th April 2025.

During his visit to Thailand, Prime Minister Modi met Thailand’s Prime Minister Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra. They discussed bilateral, regional, and global issues.

A Joint Declaration on the Establishment of India-Thailand Strategic Partnership between the two countries was exchanged in front of both Prime Ministers.

Five MoUs between India and Thailand 

The following five Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were also signed between the two countries.

• Cooperation in the field of Digital Technologies;
• Cooperation for the development of National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat;
• Cooperation in the field of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME);
• Cooperation in handlooms and handicrafts; 
• Cooperation between the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER)and Thailand's Foreign Affairs.

Other Highlights of the PM Modi Visit 

The Government of Thailand issued a special postage stamp depicting 18th-century Ramayana mural paintings to mark the Prime Minister’s visit.

Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra gifted a copy of the Buddhist canon, Tipitaka, in the Pali language to Prime Minister Modi.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, also witnessed a performance of the Ramayana, known as  Ramakien in Thailand.

India-Thailand Bilateral Relations

• India and Thailand share deep historical and cultural ties dating back centuries.
• India and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1947 after India gained its independence.
• Thailand is the third-largest economy in ASEAN and India’s fourth-largest trading partner after Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia in the region. 
• Total bilateral trade between the two countries was around $15 billion, with Indian exports being about $5 billion, and imports from Thailand were around $10 billion.

About the Kingdom of Thailand 

The Kingdom of Thailand is part of Southeast Asia.

It was called Siam, which was renamed to Thailand in 1939.

It is also famous as a land of white elephants.

The elephant is the national animal of Thailand.

Capital: Bangkok

Currency: baht

Head of State: King Vajiralongkorn

Prime Minister : Paetongtarn Shinawatra

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