India says 'namaste' to Thailand

The third Namaste Thailand Festival was inaugurated by Thai envoy Chutintorn Gongsakdi, who reiterated peaceful Indo-Thai relations and the need to do more.

The three-day festival was inaugurated in New Delhi is celebrating 72 years of bilateral ties between the two countries.

It is organised by the Royal Thai Embassy.

"In terms of bilateral relationship, India has had a good, peaceful relationship with Thailand. But we are still in the early stages.

Our trade has had an increase of 30 per cent year on year in 2017 and 2018, which is about 12 billion, but we have much more to achieve.

"What we do have is good people to people cultural relation and we want to build on that foundation and let it deliver political and economic dividends.

So that trade and investment is much larger than this. Namaste Thailand Festival is an initiative in that direction," the envoy said in his opening address.

The envoy also mentioned Thai cuisine's popularity in India during a cooking demonstration he did.

He cooked the green Thai curry in front of the audience.

The festival brings to the national capital Thai cuisine, arts, dance and a Thai marketplace with lifestyle products.