New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR, from July 25 to 27 to participate in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) sessions. This visit, at the invitation of Lao PDR’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, highlights India’s strong commitment to ASEAN unity and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), as well as the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of India’s Act East Policy, which was announced by the Prime Minister at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014. Jaishankar’s visit emphasizes India’s dedication to the ASEAN-centered regional framework and its support for Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship under the theme ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.

In addition to participating in the meetings, Jaishankar will hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts from other countries on the sidelines. ASEAN, a political and economic union of 10 Southeast Asian nations, views India as a valued partner. Earlier this month, the Director General of ASEAN in Lao PDR’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chatoulong Bouasisavath, affirmed India’s important role in the region.

Following the launch of a real-time payments linkage system between India and Singapore, India is working with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to expand this system. Last September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit in Indonesia, marking the elevation of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.