BANGKOK: India has indicated its willingness to cooperate with Thailand in the civilian nuclear energy sector “once the India-specific arrangement is in place” after discussions between New Delhi and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and after a relevant decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee conveyed this to his Thai counterpart, Nitya Pibulsonggram, here on Friday. The two presided over the India-Thailand Joint Commission meeting and also held talks in “a restricted meeting.”

Later, at a joint press conference, Mr. Nitya said, “Thailand [a close U.S. ally] is widely interested in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy [and] there will be a number of issues that will have to follow upon our discussion today.” He said “nothing specific was mentioned” at this stage, though, about either this possibility or the idea that Bangkok could access India’s space-vehicle launch capabilities to put a Thai satellite into orbit “in the immediate future.”

In an independent comment, Thailand Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said “this is the best time for the relationship between our two countries.”

He said they were looking forward for closer cooperation in not only trade and knowledge-based sectors but also defence. Thailand was trying to get closer to India “not only on the security side” of the defence equation but also in the field of military-coordinated disaster management.

Gen. Surayud said the India-Thailand free trade agreement “should be finalised sometime early next year.”