Bangkok:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today arrived in Bangkok on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra to outline the framework of a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and elevate bilateral ties into a "strategic partnership".
Dr Singh arrived after ending his three-day visit to Tokyo that saw India and Japan reaffirming the importance of civil nuclear cooperation, while recognising that nuclear safety is a priority for both governments.
A high-level delegation is accompanying him on the trip to reinforce India's "Look East" policy, recognising Thailand as a key gateway to the ASEAN region and seeking to elevate bilateral ties into a "strategic partnership".
"During the visit, the two sides will outline the framework of a Thailand-India comprehensive free-trade agreement in order to reach a conclusion, perhaps by this year," Indian Ambassador to Thailand Anil Wadhwa told Nation newspaper in an interview.
The previous talks in New Delhi last November made some progress, but the major task to overcome is to fine-tune how to open access to both countries' service sectors, he said.
Ahead of Dr Singh's visit, the Thai Foreign Ministry said the bilateral meeting "reflects the desire of the two sides to elevate Thai-Indian relations to a strategic partnership, as announced in January last year."
During the visit, a slew of MoUs covering space, extradition, Information Technology, education, financial intelligence units to check money laundering are expected to be inked.
His visit to Thailand will be the first by an Indian premier after the 2004 visit by the then Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Pulok Chatterjee, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and other senior officials are accompanying Dr Singh.