Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and discussed ways to improve trade ties and boost cultural linkages between the two nations.

Prime Minister Modi is in Laos on a two-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.

Modi met Shinawatra on the sidelines of the East Asia summit. This was the first meeting between the two Prime Ministers.

"Met PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Lao PDR. Thailand is a deeply valued friend of India’s," Modi said in a post on X.

"Our talks were focused on how to improve trade ties between our nations and to boost cultural linkages. We also see great scope in sectors like defence, shipping, digital innovations and more," he said.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated the Thai Prime Minister on assuming office. She also extended greetings to the prime minister on his historic third term in office, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Shinawatra became Thailand's Prime Minister in August this year.

The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in a range of areas. They also exchanged views on ways to forge closer cooperation in sub-regional, regional, and multilateral fora. In this context, they discussed strengthening regional cooperation through BIMSTEC, the statement said.

India’s ties with Thailand are an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy, which is marking a decade this year, and India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific, the statement added.

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