India Appoints New Ambassador to Thailand Amid Strengthened Bilateral Ties

New Delhi:Puneet Agrawal has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday. Agrawal, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1997 batch, is presently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. According to the official press release, he is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Further details regarding the date of assumption of charge are awaited. According to the MEA brief, India and Thailand have historically enjoyed warm and cordial relations. The brief further stated that bilateral ties between India and Thailand are multifaceted and span a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Furthermore, Thailand's 'Act West' policy complements India's 'Act East' policy. Thailand is India's maritime neighbour. In the context of regional and sub-regional groupings, Thailand is an important partner of India, including in the ASEAN, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC), the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). Earlier in December, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow held a bilateral meeting in the national capital and discussed ways to expand the strategic partnership between the two countries and promote security cooperation, according to an official statement from the Thai Foreign Ministry.