As India and Thailand celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, the two countries, through the upcoming North-East India Festival, being hosted in Bangkok will further look at boosting bilateral relations. Minister of State for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh will be gracing the festival as the Chief Guest alongside Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit. Chief Ministers of the eight North-East states will also be present.
The Festival is also an important step to strengthen India’s Act East Policy, under which development of North-Eastern states can be made possible through cooperation and investments from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand. The first edition of this festival was held back in 2019 and it opened up business opportunities for the North-East, in sectors such as agriculture, food processing and tourism. This year, the second edition will showcase the potential of the North-East region by having products from these states on display, manufactured by MSMEs in the region. The focus of this Festival will be upon trade, investment and tourism promotion and exchanges in the field of culture, education and people-to-people connect.
An academic seminar is scheduled for 31st July. This seminar will trace the historical connection between North-East India and Southeast Asia, wherein students, historians and scholars from both regions will interact. The MEA has mentioned that troupes sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations will be performing different dance forms. The MEA’s press release also mentioned that MoS Ranjan Singh will be meeting the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand and hold discussions to further strengthen the partnership between these two countries.
