Nirmala Sitharaman holds talks with Thailand defence minister; two sides decide to step up security cooperation

Bangkok/New Delhi: India and Thailand on Monday decided to step up defence and security cooperation, particularly in the maritime sphere, considering the evolving security situation in the critical sea lanes in the region, officials said.The decision was taken after wide-ranging talks between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Thai counterpart General Prawit Wongsuwon in Bangkok.In a statement, the Indian defence ministry in New Delhi said that both sides decided to step up military-to-military engagement by commencing bilateral naval exercises."The ministers welcomed the positive momentum and substantive content of ongoing bilateral defence engagement and discussed measures to further enhance and deepen defence cooperation," it said.[caption id="attachment_5057831" align="alignleft" width="380"] Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a bilateral meeting with her Thai counterpart Prawit Wongsuwan on Monday. Twitter@DefenceMinIndia[/caption]Sitharaman also called on Thailand prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and discussed ways to enhance the bilateral ties.In the talks, the two defence ministers also decided to explore strengthening current military drills between the armies and air forces of the two countries."Both sides noted complementarities in their approaches to the Indo-Pacific region and decided to hold regular consultations on issues of mutual interest," the ministry said.Officials said the two sides deliberated on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to expand its influence.The ministry said the Thai defence minister welcomed India's initiative to host the inaugural BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Army exercise and conclave of chiefs in India in September and confirmed Thailand's participation.The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.The grouping accounts for 22 percent of the global population, and has a combined gross domestic product of $2.8 trillion.Sitharaman arrived in Bangkok on Sunday along with an Indian delegation, on a three-day visit to strengthen Indo-Thai strategic ties.Vice Minister for Defence General Roungrojana Chumrasromrun welcomed her and the delegation on arrival in Bangkok.She also inspected a guard of honour in the Thai capital.