By Muslim Mirror News,
New Delhi: Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Monday embarked upon 5-day official tour of Brunei and Thailand. He said that India enjoyed close and cordial relations with Brunei and Thailand. He was addressing a Press Conference on board the Air India Special Aircraft to Brunei and Thailand. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary is also accompanying him.
He is visiting Brunei at the invitation of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. This will be the first high-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Brunei in May, 1984.
The Vice President has outlined the history of recent bilateral exchanges with Brunei, and mentioned that the country had been the coordinator for India under the ASEAN framework. India’s close economic ties were based on the purchase of crude oil and natural gas, and that India was actively exploring the possibility of partnership in the natural gas sector through setting up a fertilizer factory in Brunei, he added. He said that signing of Memoranda of Understanding with Brunei on Defence, Health and Youth Affairs and Sports was also on the cards. This will be the first ever visit by an Indian Vice President to Brunei, he added.
Touching upon the importance of India’s relations with Thailand, he mentioned that wide ranging cooperation in counter-terrorism, Defense, and investment indicated the substantial nature of our ties. He noted the support that Thai authorities had extended in repatriating wanted individuals to India. Responding to a question on Defence cooperation, the Vice President mentioned that Thailand and India enjoyed a maritime boundary and that our cooperation in the field was significant. He also expressed satisfaction at the continued engagement between both sides on the counter-terrorism front.