Thailand is a key partner of India in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
The recent 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar provided a useful opportunity for India and Thailand to review the progress across various areas of their bilateral partnership. 
 
Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa was in New Delhi for the Retreat during July 11-13, 2024 on what was his first official visit to India. On July 12, 2024, EAM Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs and hosted a lunch in his honour. 
 
EAM Jaishankar said their talks focused on the bilateral engagement in defence & security, trade & investment, and financial connectivity. 
 
"Delighted to hold talks with Thailand’s Foreign Minister @AmbPoohMaris. As a maritime neighbor, we have civilizational bonds and shared interests. 
 
Good discussion on our intensifying engagement covering political, defence & security, trade & investment, physical & financial connectivity, tourism and people to people domains. 

Also exchanged views on regional matters, India-ASEAN, Indo-Pacific and cooperation in the UN," EAM Jaishankar posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. 
 
During the meeting, the two Ministers also reviewed progress across other areas of partnership covering science & technology collaboration, health cooperation, culture and people-to-people interaction, according to information shared by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday (July 14, 2024).
 
Additionally, the two Ministers exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and reiterated commitment to closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional and multilateral fora. "In accordance with the vision of the two Prime Ministers, the Ministers reaffirmed the mutual desire for a stronger India-Thailand partnership," the MEA stated. 

Thailand is a key partner of India in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ‘Act East’ Policy of India which marks its 10th year in 2024, finds convergence with the ‘Act West’ Policy of Thailand, which is also India’s maritime neighbour. Interactions between the External Affairs Minister and theThai Minister of Foreign Affairs have contributed to further strengthening of bilateral ties, the MEA said.
 
The entire gamut of bilateral relations had been reviewed earlier this year during the 10th India-Thailand Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi on February 27, 2024. The meeting was co-chaired by EAM Jaishankar and Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara. 

During the meeting, they discussed bilateral ties in the areas of defence & security, trade & investment, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, digital, space and tourism. They also shared views on Myanmar, India-ASEAN and multilateral cooperation, EAM Jaishankar said on X.
 
In addition to ASEAN, Thailand is an important partner of India in the East Asia Summit (EAS); the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC), the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
 
Relations between India and Thailand are marked by strong bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors including defence and trade.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation in January 2012. The ongoing defence cooperation initiatives comprise joint maritime patrolling by the navies of both countries, annual staff talks, subject matter expert exchange visits and training of officers at each other’s institutions in addition to trilateral and multilateral military exercises.
 
Bilateral trade between two countries increased manifold in recent years. In 2022, it reached a record high of USD 17.7 billion.
 
Major Indian companies in Thailand include the Tata group – Tata Steel Thailand, and Tata Consultancy Services, Aditya Birla Group, Tech Mahindra, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd., L&T, Bajaj Auto, NRB Bearing, Ranbaxy, Camper Pharmaceuticals Coforge Ltd, Usha Siam Steel Industries PLC, KEC International, Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd., Desmond International, and Apollo Tyres.

Leading Thai companies in the fields of agro-processing, construction, automotive and engineering have active and growing business presence in India. Some of the notable Thai companies active in India are – Charoen Pokphand Group, Italian Thai Development PCL, The Thai Union Frozen Products PCL, Thai Summit Neel Auto Pvt. Ltd., Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL, Srithai Superware PCL (Melamine tableware manufacturing), Siam Makro PCL, and Global Renewable Synergy Co (GRSC).