Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva recently met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to discuss promoting trade ties between their two countries. In an email interview, Faizal bin Yahya, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, discussed Thai-Indian relations.
WPR: What is the recent history of Thai-Indian relations?
Faizal bin Yahya: Thailand and India have increased their bilateral engagement in recent years. Important developments include India's liberalization of its economy in 1991, its progressive engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its inclusion in the East Asian Summit. The two countries are the driving members of BIMSTEC, a subregional agreement meant to forge closer relations between South and Southeast Asia, and are members of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation.