Relations with ASEAN are a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision, says MEA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR, later this week to attend two key summits with leaders of Southeast Asian nations as India marks a decade of its Act East Policy. The visit, which will take place on October 10-11, 2024, was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday (October 8, 2024).

During the visit, which comes at the invitation of Lao PDR Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister Modi will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit. Both the summits are being hosted by Lao PDR as the current Chair of ASEAN.

“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,” the MEA stated.

The ASEAN-India Summit will review progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation, the MEA said. 

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, the MEA added.

Prime Minister Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the two summits in Vientiane.

India’s Strategic Association with Southeast Asian Nations
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Laos comes barely a month after his official visits to Brunei and Singapore on September 3 and 4, 2024 and highlights the deep importance India attaches to its relationship with nations in the ASEAN region.

The relationship has grown stronger since the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership came into being in November 2022, which also marked the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. 

Over the years, India has expressed its strong commitment to ASEAN unity, ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and towards taking forward the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Earlier this year, Laos also hosted the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Vientiane. Participating at the opening session of the meeting on July 26, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said ASEAN was the “cornerstone” of India’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision. "For us, political, economic and security cooperation with ASEAN is of the utmost priority," he stated.

During his visit to Vientiane, EAM Jaishankar also participated at the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum on July 27, 2024, where he noted the synergy between India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and the ASEAN's Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP).