Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Thailand in a bid to boost strategic and trade ties between the two countries, said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Monday.
The invitation was relayed to India's new ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, who paid Gen Prayut a courtesy call at Government House on Monday, said Mr Anucha.
After congratulating the ambassador for assuming the post, Gen Prayut said he hoped to improve bilateral ties in political affairs, security, trade and investment, tourism and multilateral cooperation by inviting the Indian prime minister to the kingdom.
The ambassador believed bilateral ties would improve during his tenure, as India also considers Thailand as an important ally due to intimate relations in culture, language and religion.
The ambassador was also delighted to begin cooperating with the government, as Thailand's Look West Policy is very similar to India's Act East Policy.
After accepting the new ambassador's credentials, the premier said he hoped Mr Modi would accept the invitation to visit Thailand for a bilateral visit, as well as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) conference in August.
The Indian ambassador said that almost a million Indian citizens visited Thailand last year. He hoped the number would reach two million this year. Trade between Thailand and India has been increasing since 2021, with a spike noticed between January and November last year, which saw trade volume rise about 20% to about US$16.5 billion (552.6 billion baht).
The ambassador said there is potential to increase investments by both countries after the premier touted the Eastern Economic Corridor initiative, which will see Thailand become a hub for a range of industries, including aviation, logistics, biofuel and medical sciences.
Gen Prayut and Mr Singh also discussed improving connectivity across Southeast Asia with other regions, as well as public health and national security cooperation.
