PM Modi to visit Laos for ASEAN, East Asia summits

“At the invitation of Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 10-11 October 2024,” MEA said.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit being hosted by Laos as the current Chair of ASEAN.

The ministry said that India is “marking a decade of the Act East Policy this year. Relations with ASEAN are a central pillar of the Act East Policy and our Indo-Pacific vision”.

Officials said that the ASEAN-India Summit will “review progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation”.

The East Asia Summit, a premier leaders-led forum that contributes to building an environment of strategic trust in the region, provides an opportunity for leaders of EAS Participating Countries, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional importance, it said.

It also said that the Prime Minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the Summits.

Southeast Asian leaders gathered on Wednesday for ASEAN that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea.

The 10 member states of ASEAN — Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos — will also hold talks with other dialogue partners including Japan, South Korea, India and Australia on topics ranging from the economy, to climate change and energy.

Myanmar sent Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Aung Kyaw Moe to the summit, its first high-level representative at the summit in three years, after ASEAN barred it from sending political representatives in late 2021.