Asian Confluence, a Shillong-based think tank, in collaboration with the Political Science and Public Administration department of Assam Royal Global University (RGU), organised a session of the Brahmaputra–Chao Phraya Dialogue on the university campus in Guwahati on Tuesday, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, academics and experts from India and Thailand to explore new avenues of engagement between the Northeast and the Southeast Asian country.
Held on the theme “Building the Northeast’s Health, Education, Youth and Enterprise Bridge with Thailand,” the dialogue positioned Northeast India as an important academic and people-to-people bridge between India and Southeast Asia, while highlighting the role of universities in creating sustained institutional linkages, knowledge exchange and collaborative opportunities.
The keynote address was delivered by Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General, Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.
Mongkolnavin highlighted the significant potential for expanding Thailand–India cooperation, particularly in education, tourism, culture, training, internships and academic exchange.
She also expressed optimism about translating the growing interest in institutional cooperation into concrete partnerships, including the possibility of formalising such collaboration through memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
The Thai delegation included senior government officials and scholars from leading Thai universities, including Thammasat University, Ubon Ratchathani University, Prince of Songkla University and Chulalongkorn University.
The opening session was addressed by Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, former secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Dr. R.K. Ranjan Singh, former Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Government of India; and Prashant Agrawal, Additional Secretary (South), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
The speakers underscored the importance of strengthening India’s engagement with countries of Southeast Asia and creating greater opportunities for regional cooperation.
The high-level academic and policy dialogue was followed by a panel discussion on “Building the Northeast’s Education, Youth and Enterprise Bridge with Thailand,” chaired by Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das.