EAM Jaishankar to Strengthen Indo-ASEAN Ties in Laos Visit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR, from July 25 to 27 to attend various ASEAN framework meetings. His visit emphasizes India’s deep engagement with ASEAN's regional architecture as the country celebrates a decade of its 'Act East' policy.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Vientiane, Lao PDR, from July 25 to 27 to participate in the ASEAN framework's Foreign Ministers' Meetings, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced in a press release. Jaishankar’s trip follows an invitation from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao PDR, Saleumxay Kommasith.

The visit underscores India’s strong engagement with ASEAN's regional architecture and its commitment to ASEAN unity, centrality, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). This year is particularly significant as it marks the tenth anniversary of India’s Act East Policy, declared by the Prime Minister at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014. The Minister is also slated to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from other countries on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related events.

ASEAN, a political and economic union of ten Southeast Asian nations, continues to view India as an essential partner. Chatoulong Bouasisavath, Director General of the ASEAN department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR, affirmed India's strategic relationship with ASEAN. Following India's real-time payments linkage initiative with Singapore, the country is also working with Malaysia and other ASEAN nations to expand the system’s operational reach.

This year’s commemorations include a decade of India's 'Act East' policy, which places ASEAN at its focal point. The policy reinforces India's support for ASEAN Centrality, AOIP, and Lao PDR's ASEAN Chairmanship's priorities under the theme "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience."

In September 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit in Indonesia, marking the first summit since India and ASEAN upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.