Thailand and India have taken seven-and-a-half decades to transform their close historical and cultural ties into a more strategic trajectory. It is not an easy task as their leaders have been all too comfortable with their longstanding friendly and relatively trouble-free ties. However, the recent three-day high-profile visit of Indian External Affairs Secretary Dr S Jaishankar has raised the dynamics of Thailand-India relations to a new level.
His Thailand trip came at a time when India has been demonstrating to the rest of the world its unwavering independent and neutral foreign policy. Thailand is on the same page as India. With the swiftly changing geopolitical landscape, Dr Jaishankar reiterated during meetings with his Thai counterpart that the two countries must do more together. In his speech at Chulalongkorn University, Dr Jaishankar was not shy talking about Thailand and its strategic potential, urging the country to think "in much more big-picture terms, keeping the long view in mind".
