H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to join the delegation led by H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, to attend the ASEAN - India Commemorative Summit which marks the 25th year of ASEAN - India Relations and India’s Republic Day between 25 - 26 January 2018 in New Delhi, Republic of India.

          Singapore, as ASEAN’s Chairman, and India will co-chair the meeting. The meeting will discuss progress and envision the future directions of the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership in order to achieve concrete outcomes and utilise the Strategic Partnership at its utmost capacity.

          Activities at the ASEAN - India Commemorative Summit include (1) a Leaders’ Retreat under the theme of “Maritime Cooperation and Security” and (2) a Summit Plenary under the theme of “India - ASEAN Shared Values, Common Destiny.” Thailand will place strong emphasis on enhancing ASEAN - India connectivity and cooperation in various dimensions such as economics, security, and maritime cooperation. Moreover, Thailand will also support ongoing exchanges on cultural and innovation linkage based on mutual interests.

          The Leaders will adopt the “Delhi Declaration Delhi of the ASEAN - India Commemorative Summit to Mark the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN - India Dialogue Relations” as the outcome document. The declaration reflects the Leaders’ determination to enhance Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and India in political and security, economic, and socio-cultural pillar. Moreover, this document aims to enhance connectivity, reduce development gaps, and promote stability and prosperity in the region. 

          Furthermore, The Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, on 25 January 2018. The two Prime Ministers will discuss issues of mutual interest between Thailand and India, including cooperation on security, trade and investment. They will also exchange views on regional issues and cooperation under multilateral cooperation frameworks.

          After the Summit, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will attend the 69th Republic Day Parade on 26 January 2018 as Chief Guest along with the other nine ASEAN Leaders at Rajpath Avenue in the heart of New Delhi.

          ASEAN - India dialogue relations have grown rapidly from a sectoral dialogue partnership in 1992 to a full dialogue partnership in 1995. The relationship was further elevated with the convening of the ASEAN - India Summit in 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Viet Nam is currently the Country Coordinator for ASEAN - India Dialogue Relations and Thailand will assume the coordinatorship from Viet Nam in August 2018.