PM to begin his 2-nation visit to Thailand, Sri Lanka from April 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his two-nation visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka from April 3.

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He is slated to visit Bangkok, Thailand, on April 3-4 to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, which is to be held on April 4. The summit will be hosted by Thailand, the current BIMSTEC chair. This will be Modi's third visit to Thailand as the PM.

Bangkok's BIMSTEC summit would be the first physical meeting of the BIMSTEC leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2018. The last i.e. 5th BIMSTEC Summit was held at Colombo, Sri Lanka, in March 2022 in virtual format. This year's theme is "BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open”.

India has been taking several initiatives in BIMSTEC to strengthen regional cooperation and partnership, including enhancing security; facilitating trade and investment; establishing physical, maritime and digital connectivity; collaborating in food, energy, climate and human security; promoting capacity-building and skill development; and enhancing people-to-people ties.

During his Thailand visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Thailand on April 3. During the meeting, the two Prime Ministers are expected to review bilateral cooperation and chart the way for future partnership between the countries.

From Thailand, Modi will travel to Sri Lanka for three-day visit from April 4 to April 6.

The prime minister will hold discussions with the Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to review progress made on the areas of cooperation agreed upon in the joint vision for "Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future” adopted during the former's India visit last year.

As part of the visit, Modi will also travel to Anuradhapura for inauguration of development projects implemented with Indian financial assistance.

The last time Modi visited Sri Lanka was in 2019.