NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) on October 10 and 11 during which he will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.Lao PDR, also called Laos, is the present chair of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Modi will visit Vientiane on the invitation of Lao PDR Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.“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 ASEAN-India Summit will review progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation,’’ said the MEA.“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 ministry said, adding PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the two summits.“India has civilisational and cultural linkages with East Asian nations which have grown into acquiring all the elements of a contemporary relationship. These countries are significant in India’s Act East Policy and our vision of the Indo-Pacific,” the MEA said.
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