Vice President Hamid Ansari Arrives In Thailand

“Eastern friendships flourish. After a successful visit to Brunei, VP Ansari arrives in Thailand to a 19-gun salute”, external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with pictures. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary is also accompanying the Vice President.

He said that during the visit, the issues that would come up for discussion are civil aviation, space, trade and investment, ICT and hydrocarbons.

In the morning, he delivered a lecture at the University of Brunei Darussalam before leaving for the airport onward his journey to Bangkok.

India’s growing economy and increasing energy needs offer oil and gas-rich Brunei an opportunity to enhance export of hydrocarbons to it, Vice President Hamid Ansari said today and underlined that there is “tremendous potential” for collaboration in the sector.

This is the first visit by an Indian Vice President to Thailand after a gap of 50 years.

Apart from holding a meeting with Prayut, Ansari will also have an audience with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is a scholar in Sanskrit, Wadhwa said.

Stressing on maritime security, Ansari said that joint naval exercises between India and Brunei have led to deepening of cooperation between both countries in the defence sector and the coastal security.

“We appreciate the understanding of Brunei in India’s enhanced role at the United Nations and for its candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council”.

Underscoring that India and Brunei have equal stakes in the security and prosperity of a “shared Asian neighbourhood”, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday said that both the countries have an interest in maintaining the safety of the sea-lanes in the region.

“For India, it is an article of faith of our Look-East policy that ASEAN must remain central to the future evolution of regional mechanisms, which must be open and inclusive”.

India and Brunei are linked by history, culture and traditions spanning a millennium.

During his visit to Brunei from February 1 to 3, he will meet the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. On Tuesday, agreements with Brunei are expected to bolster the already existing warm bilateral relations.

In the past two decades, with regular political exchanges, growing trade and investment, India’s ties with Thailand have evolved into a comprehensive partnership.