On 23 July 2009 at 14:15 hours, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met with Mr. S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, on the sidelines of the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum in Phuket, Thailand. Gist is as follows:
The Indian Foreign Minister, who was on his first visit to Thailand, expressed his appreciation for Thailand’s excellent hospitality and arrangements for the 42nd AMM. Regarding ASEAN, both sides agreed that cooperation in transport linkages, including the Asian Highway, should be further enhanced.
On bilateral issues, both ministers discussed tourism between the two countries, which has increased continuously. Last year the number of Indian tourists traveling to Thailand reached 500,000, while the number of Thai tourists visiting India was also high and is continuing to grow, especially tourists visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
Foreign Minister Kasit also expressed his interest in visiting India, the timing of which would be determined later.
Both ministers also discussed the enhancement of cooperation on the tsunami early warning system in the Andaman Sea. In addition, in areas where India has expertise e.g. nanotechnology, alternative energy and research and development, cooperation should also be strengthened. The Indian Minister confirmed that India will continue to develop technological linkages with Thailand by increasing the number of scholarships given to Thai students, which currently stands at 3000.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th