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Published on September 15, 2007

"India has had great achievements through this cooperation with Thailand," Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said after a meeting with his Thai counterpart Nitya Pibulsonggram at the Foreign Ministry.

Mukherjee was in Thailand for the fifth joint commission meeting between Thailand and India. The joint commission covered trade investment, transport links, agriculture, tourism, security, science and technology, nuclear energy as well as culture, education and environmental issues, said Pranab.

Nitya expressed great interest in trade investment and the Foreign Mission Integrated Project (FMIP), a part of overall scientific cooperation on technology.

"We greatly appreciate the support we receive from India,'' he said.

The meeting welcomed Thailand's initiative to enhance science and technology cooperation through the FMIP to promote cultural diplomacy and develop Thailand into an agro-energy country. The two countries also agreed to promote people-to-people contacts, cultural and educational exchanges and technical cooperation.

Pisanu Chanvithan, a director-general of the South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs Department, said Thailand was trying to improve technology, particularly information technology, with India.

"India and Thailand have had this cooperation for the last four years. Now it's time to review the past with a view to the new projects the countries are planning for the future," Pisanu said.

Separately, the visiting Indian foreign minister said Thai authorities assured him that Tamil Tiger financier Kumaran Padmanathan was not in their custody, as earlier reported. "We are informed that the person concerned is not in the possession of Thai authorities," Mukherjee told a press conference after meeting with Nitya.

Kek Naratevy

 The Nation