Bangkok, Oct 09: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tonight underlined the need to intensify cooperation on a number of shared security concerns, saying that India knew from its "bitter" experience the dangers of selectivity in tackling terrorism or its sponsors. "The threats to security from terrorism confront all nations. India has been plagued by terrorism for over 20 years. We know the importance of international cooperation in tackling this menace. We also know from our bitter experience the dangers of selectivity in combating terrorism or its sponsors," Vajpayee said at the banquet hosted in his honour by Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Vajpyee, who arrived here last night from the India-Asean summit, met Thai leaders and presided over the signing of the landmark free trade agreement with Thailand. "The framework agreement on free trade should impart a fresh momentum to our economic and commercial relationship. India-Thailand joint ventures have done remarkably well in this country and are expanding, we need more of them in India," Vajpayee said.
There are 26 India-Thailand joint ventures in Thailand while more than 80,000 people of Indian origin live in Thailand. Applauding Thailand's strides in the tourism sector, Vajpayee said India could learn from Thailand's success in developing this industry. "We would like to work with Thailand in the development of tourist infrastructure," he said.
The premier said exchanges between the two countries could be enriched by evolving exchange programmes between authors, archaeologists, art historians and linguists from the two nations.
He said the two countries had agreed that the setting up of cultural centres would promote this effort. Bureau Report