New Delhi, Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Laos on Thursday to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit at the invitation of his Laotian counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, the current chair of ASEAN.

The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summits in Vientiane

His visit to Laos October 10-11 underlines how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries are a significant pillar of India's Act East policy and key partners of New Delhi's Indo-Pacific Vision strongly backed by Prime Minister's Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative.

"The ASEAN-India Summit will review progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation. 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 of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

With Prime Minister Modi firmly supporting ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN outlook on the region, India has, over the last 10 years, believed that a strong and unified ASEAN plays an important role in the emerging dynamic of the Indo-Pacific.

Last year, PM Modi had travelled to Jakarta just three days ahead of the crucial G20 Leaders' Summit hosted by New Delhi.

His visit to Indonesia in September 2023 for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th East Asia Summit had sent a strong message on the value India attaches to engagement with the countries of the Southeast Asian region and its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific under the current geopolitical scenario.

The ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta was also the first since the elevation of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 and charted the future direction of cooperation.(IANS)

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