This year marks a decade of India's Act East Policy
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR from July 25-27, 2024 to participate in the Foreign Ministers' Meetings under the ASEAN framework in the format of ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
 
The visit comes at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday (July 23, 2024).
 
Significantly, this year marks a decade of India's Act East Policy which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014.

"The visit underlines India's deep engagement with and the importance India attaches to the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, our strong commitment to ASEAN unity, ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and taking forward the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," the MEA noted.
 
While in Vientiane, EAM Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other countries in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on the margins of the ASEAN-related meetings.
 
India and ASEAN have a comprehensive engagement covering a wide array of areas at all levels, including seven ministerial engagements besides several official level ones. 

Joining other leaders at the ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 7, 2023, Prime Minister Modi said the meet is testament to a shared vision and collaboration for a better future. In his statement before departing from New Delhi, he said, "Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s “Act East” policy. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership entered into last year has injected new dynamism in our ties".
 
The East Asia Summit brings together at the leadership level, ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. India, as the founding member of the East Asia Summit, has been committed to strengthening the mechanism and making it more effective to deal with contemporary challenges.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was established in 1994 to provide a platform to foster dialogue on political and security issues and to contribute to efforts towards confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region. It has 27 member members, including the 10 ASEAN states and 10 ASEAN Dialogue Partners.