By Prashanth Parameswaran
A recent visit is part of an ongoing effort by both sides to give defense cooperation a boost.
India and Thailand vowed to deepen their bilateral defense relationship Monday, local media sources reported.
The two sides agreed to boost defense cooperation as Indian Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha paid an official visit to Bangkok Sunday. Raha, who is Chief of the Air Staff as well as Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, is on a four-day trip to Thailand and Vietnam.
As I have noted before, since Narendra Modi took office last year, India has been attempting to further boost cooperation with Southeast Asian states as part of its “Act East Policy,” a variation on the “Look East Policy” first formulated under Narasimha Rao in 1991. The Modi government’s use of the “Act East Policy” is designed to signal a more action-oriented policy toward Southeast Asia (See: “Modi Unveils India’s ‘Act East Policy’ to ASEAN in Myanmar”).
This applies to defense relations as well, and Raha’s trip is being publicized as a case in point. According to a press release by India’s Ministry of Defense seen by The Diplomat, the visit is designed to “further boost bilateral relations between the Armed Forces of the two countries and is likely to provide greater convergence at the operational level.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat