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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra held wide-ranging discussions on international, regional and bilateral issues and expressed the desire to work together towards elevating the bilateral relations to strategic partnership for mutual benefit.
"Developing
close relations with Thailand is an important component of our Look
East Policy. Strong India-Thailand relations contribute to peace,
prosperity and stability in the region," Dr Singh said at a joint media
event with Shinawatra.
Emphasising
the need to step up bilateral cooperation and exchanges in the fields
of defence, counter-terrorism and security, Singh said he underlined to
Shinawatra the need to put in place a bilateral legal framework to deal
with "non- state actors and subversive elements" that pose a common
threat to both our societies.
"In this context, we have concluded an Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons", Dr Singh said.
Both
leaders noted that the increasing menace of terrorists, criminals, arms
and drug traffickers trying to use this region for their nefarious
activities provided an added urgency to strengthen cooperation in
security and intelligence exchange, a joint statement said.
They
also agreed that a five-year Joint Working Programme on specific
elements of cooperation would be finalized urgently in this regard. The
two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations and stressed that there could be no justification
whatsoever for any act of terrorism.
To
strengthen economic links between the two countries, they reaffirmed
their resolve to conclude the bilateral Comprehensive Agreement on Trade
in Goods, Services, and Investments by mid-2012.
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