Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on April 3 leave for a four-day visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka as part of India’s commitment to its ”Act East” and ”Neighbourhood First” policies, officials said on Friday.

At the invitation of Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the PM will visit Bangkok from 3-4 April to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit to be hosted by Thailand, the current BIMSTEC Chair, and for an official visit. This will be Mr Modi’s third visit to Thailand.

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At a media briefing here on the PM’s visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and MEA Joint Secretary Jaideep Mazumdar said there is nothing to indicate at this stage that the devastating earthquake in the Southeast Asian nation will impact the BIMSTEC Summit.

This would be the first physical meeting of the BIMSTEC Leaders since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The summit’s theme is “BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open”. The leaders are expected to deliberate on ways and means to infuse greater momentum into BIMSTEC cooperation during the Summit.

On the bilateral front, the PM is scheduled to have a meeting with his Thai counterpart on 3 April. During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to review bilateral cooperation and chart the way for future partnership between the countries. India and Thailand are maritime neighbours with shared civilisational bonds which are underpinned by cultural, linguistic, and religious ties.

From Thailand, the PM will travel to Sri Lanka on a state visit from 4–6 April at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka.

During the visit, he will hold discussions with the President of Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lankan President’s State Visit to India.

The PM will also have meetings with senior dignitaries and political leaders. As part of the visit, Mr Modi will also travel to Anuradhapura for the inauguration of development projects implemented with Indian financial assistance.