PM Modi arrives in Bangkok to attend 6th BIMSTEC Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bangkok on Thursday to attend the 6th Summit of the BIMSTEC.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a post on X wrote early this morning that, "PM @narendramodi departs on a visit to Thailand & Sri Lanka."

He said that the Prime Minister will pay an official Visit to Thailand and participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit after which he will proceed on a State Visit to Sri Lanka



Members of Indian diaspora in Thailand chanted 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' as they await PM Modi's arrival in Bangkok.

Ravi Kumar, President of the Telugu Association, expressed his excitement to ANI, "We are so excited to see PM Modi here today. We want more flights between Thailand and India. We look forward to more changes, as he is bringing in India now."

In Bangkok, President Vishwa Hindu Parishad Association, Thailand, Vaishali Tushar Urumkar told ANI, "We are excited that PM Modi is coming here. When we were on our way (to the hotel), everyone was talking about him. We are excited to meet him."

A member of the Indian diaspora in Bangkok told ANI, " It is very nice to know that Prime Minister Modi is visiting Thailand. We are very happy to meet him today. If possible, we will discuss Thailand -India relations with him."

At the invitation of Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, PM Modi is on an official visit to Thailand.

Prime Minister Modi outlined his schedule in a post on X, emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties with Thailand and Sri Lanka, as well as the broader BIMSTEC region. He said, "Over the next three days, I will be visiting Thailand and Sri Lanka to take part in various programmes aimed at boosting India's cooperation with these nations and the BIMSTEC countries."

During his stay in Bangkok, PM Modi is set to meet Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to discuss the full spectrum of India-Thailand relations. He is also scheduled to meet with Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn as part of his diplomatic visit.

The MEA said that this would be the first physical meeting of the BIMSTEC Leaders since the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The last ie fifth BIMSTEC Summit was held at Colombo, Sri Lanka in March 2022 in virtual format. The 6th Summit's theme is "BIMSTEC - Prosperous, Resilient and Open." The Leaders are expected to deliberate on ways and means to infuse greater momentum to BIMSTEC cooperation during the Summit.

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit set to take place on Friday, marking a significant regional engagement between India and its neighboring countries in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) group.