Bangkok [Thailand], April 3 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India's commitment to ASEAN unity and the Indo-Pacific while strengthening ties with Thailand, stating that Thailand holds a 'special place' in India's strategic approach towards the region, playing a key role in both India's 'Act East' policy and the broader Indo-Pacific vision.

He also emphasised that India believes in 'vikasvad, not vistarvad'

'India fully supports ASEAN unity and ASEAN centrality. In the Indo-Pacific, we both support a free, open, inclusive, and rule-based order. We believe in the policy of development-ism, not expansionism,' PM Modi said.

Underlining Thailand's special place, the PM said, 'Thailand has a special place in India's 'Act East' policy and our Indo-Pacific vision. Today, we have decided to give our relations the form of Strategic Partnerships. We also discussed establishing a 'Strategic Dialogue' between security agencies.

'We expressed our gratitude to the Government of Thailand for the cooperation received from them in sending back Indian victims of cyber crime to India,' he added.

PM Modi and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra also held bilateral talks and discussed increasing cooperation in various sectors, including tourism, culture, and business.

'We have emphasised cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture, and education between the North-Eastern states of India and Thailand. We talked about increasing mutual trade, investment, and exchange between businesses. Agreements have also been made for cooperation in MSMEs, handloom, and handicrafts,' PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also thanked Thailand for honouring his visit with a special postage stamp. 'I am grateful to the Government of Thailand for issuing a special postage stamp based on the 18th-century 'Ramayana' mural paintings to commemorate my visit. Prime Minister Shinawatra just presented me with the Tripitaka. I accepted it with folded hands on behalf of the land of Buddha, India,' he stated.

Meanwhile, during his speech, PM Modi also highlighted the deep-rooted cultural and spiritual ties between India and Thailand. 'The centuries-old ties between India and Thailand are linked by our deep cultural and spiritual threads. The spread of Buddhism has connected our people. There has been an exchange of scholars between Ayutthaya and Nalanda. The story of the Ramayana is deeply ingrained in Thai folk life, and the influences of Sanskrit and Pali are still visible in the language and traditions today,' he noted.

PM Modi expressed appreciation to his Thai counterpart for a warm welcome in the country. 'Had a productive discussion with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok a while ago. Thank you to the Thai people and government for the warm welcome, and I also expressed solidarity with the Thai people after the earthquake a few days ago. India's 'Act East Policy' and Thailand's 'Act West Policy' complement each other very well and open up opportunities for bilateral cooperation in many fields,' he said in an X post.

He also outlined key areas of security and defence cooperation. 'Our discussions focused on ways to further deepen the strategic partnership between India and Thailand. Areas of discussion included strategic issues such as defence, security, maritime security, and hydrography. We also reaffirmed our commitment to work together to overcome challenges related to terrorism, money laundering, and others,' PM Modi stated.

In the same X post thread, PM Modi stressed the importance of strengthening trade ties with Thailand.

'India and Thailand are keen to strengthen their economic and trade ties. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and I spoke about our two countries' close collaboration in agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, maritime, fintech, and space. Cultural ties were also a key issue in our discussions,' he said.

Thailand PM also gifted PM Narendra Modi the holy scriptures: the World Tipitaka, in Pali. This special Tipitaka was published by the Thai Government in 2016 to commemorate the reign of King Rama IX and Queen Sirikit.

Following this, PM Modi, via a post on X, expressed his gratitude and said, 'A very special gesture! I am grateful to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for giving me a copy of the Tipitaka in Pali. Pali is indeed a beautiful language, carrying within it the essence of Lord Buddha's teachings. As you are all aware, our Government had conferred the status of Classical Language on Pali last year. People from all over the world have appreciated this decision, and it has also encouraged research as well as the study of this language.'

Earlier in the day, as per an official statement from the PMO, PM Modi witnessed an 'enriching' performance of the Thai Ramayana, Ramakien, in Bangkok.

In a prior post on X, he wrote, 'A cultural connect like no other! Witnessed a captivating performance of the Thai Ramayana, Ramakien. It was a truly enriching experience that beautifully showcased the shared cultural and civilisational ties between India and Thailand. The Ramayana truly continues to connect hearts and traditions across so many parts of Asia.'

PM Modi is in Bangkok at the invitation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for an official visit and to attend the sixth BIMSTEC Summit. After completing his engagements in Thailand, he will visit Sri Lanka from April 4 to April 6. According to a statement from the PMO, PM Modi's upcoming visit to Sri Lanka follows Lankan President Disanayaka's visit to India last December. (ANI)