India, Thailand pledge to deepen defence ties

• India and Thailand vowed to deepen their bilateral defense relationship.
• 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.
• Both sides also agreed that cooperation should be increased with Bay of Bengal countries to manage sea migration.
• India’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. K Dhowan’s July trip to Bangkok saw a specific focus on strengthening maritime cooperation between the two navies, including hydrography, developing comprehensive maritime domain awareness through the exchange of white shipping information, and increasing the scope of coordinated patrol.

Source: TheDiplomat