BANGKOK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India's time-tested relations with Thailand are poised to move to the next level, as New Delhi looks forward to working closely with its strategic neighbour for its active participation in the implementation and progress of the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
Delivering a lecture on 'India's Vision of the Indo-Pacific' at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University here, Jaishankar said the strategic Indo-Pacific region traces a wide arc of immense diversity, but with specific dynamics, as India and Thailand marked the 75th year of diplomatic ties.
"Our time-tested relations are poised to move to the next level. We are marking the 75th year of our diplomatic relations since Thailand was among the earliest partners of our independent era," Jaishankar said.
The minister said New Delhi envisaged a free, open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific built on a rules-based order, and sustainable and transparent infrastructure investment, as he emphasised on mutual respect for sovereignty.
"India looks forward to working closely with Thailand for its active participation in the implementation and progress of our vision in the Indo-Pacific," he said, amidst China's assertive behaviour in the region.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
Terming Thailand a civilisational and a strategic neighbour, Jaishankar asserted that the ties between the two countries fit seamlessly into the vision and agenda of the Indo-Pacific.
"I would suggest to you that Thailand does so both as a partner and as an exemplar. You are all aware that for us, Thailand is a civilisational neighbour, as also an economic, political, maritime and increasingly a strategic neighbour," the minister explained.
Addressing the gathering, Jaishankar said that Thailand has navigated the most complex conflicts of the 20th century, and bilaterally and collectively with the ASEAN, the two countries can contribute to the emergence of a more stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The minister said the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMTT) has the potential of creating a new axis of economic activity in Asia.
"The IMTT project has had its fair share of challenges but we are determined to bring it to an early conclusion. Already, countries to the East of Myanmar, in fact, countries to the east of Thailand have expressed interest in getting connected to it. Such lateral connectivity can radically expand the interface between South-East Asia and South Asia, to the mutual benefit of both," he noted.