Brahmaputra-Chao Phraya Dialogue explores new pathways for India-Thailand cooperation in Northeast India

Guwahati: A landmark two-day summit aimed at turning regional policy into actionable bilateral trade, education, and development projects concluded on 23 September.

The Brahmaputra-Chao Phraya Dialogue, held September 22-23 across Guwahati and Shillong, convened senior diplomats, policymakers, and academics from India and Thailand to chart new cooperative pathways between Bangkok and India’s Northeast region.

Organized by think tank Asian Confluence alongside India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the summit sought to move beyond formal agreements toward concrete implementation. Co-hosts included Assam Royal Global University and the Meghalaya Institute of Governance.


Day one in Guwahati focused on human capital, health, education, and youth entrepreneurship. Delegates emphasized the need for active youth engagement and direct institutional exchanges to drive local economic growth.

"We must move beyond MoUs to meaningful implementation through on-ground visits and institutional exchanges," participants noted during opening sessions chaired by former MEA Secretary Amb. Riva Ganguly Das and attended by Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General, Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.

Shifting to Shillong on day two, the dialogue addressed strategic partnerships within the Bay of Bengal region, with Indian and Thai leaders emphasizing priority recommendations such as direct air corridors and regional transit links, joint initiatives in clean energy, green manufacturing, and disaster management, direct city-to-city and province-level partnerships to boost local trade and tourism, and the alignment of shared interests across regional frameworks like BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Northeast India's strategic geography positions it as the natural bridge for India’s "Act East" policy. Asian Confluence, which has driven bilateral engagement with Thailand since 2018 through its Brahmaputra-Chao Phraya Initiative and NADI platform, stated it will continue facilitating ties across trade, culture, and innovation.