PM Modi discusses way to strengthen ties with Laos counterpart

Vientiane, Laos: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone on Friday held productive discussions aimed at further strengthening the ties between the two countries, including in key sectors like economic and defence.

Modi arrived on Thursday at the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. And also attended ASEAN-India and East Asia summits to further deepen engagement with countries in the groupings.

Modi also congratulated Lao PM on successfully hosting the 21st ASEAN-India and 19th East Asia Summits.

"Imparting new momentum to India-Laos partnership. PM @narendramodi and PM Sonexay Siphandone of Lao PDR held productive discussions aimed at further strengthening India-Laos ties, including in key sectors of cooperation such as heritage conservation & restoration, development partnership, capacity building, economic, defence, culture and people-to-people ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The two leaders also held productive talks on further strengthening India-Laos civilisational and contemporary ties. They discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation such as development partnership, capacity building, disaster management, renewable energy, heritage restoration, economic ties, defence collaboration, and people-to-people ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Prime Minister Siphandone thanked Prime Minister Modi's flood relief assistance provided to Lao PDR in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.

The two leaders noted that the ongoing restoration and conservation of Vat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under Indian assistance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) imparts a special dimension to bilateral ties, the statement said.

Modi and Siphandone also expressed satisfaction at the close cooperation between the countries in regional and multilateral fora.

Prime Minister Siphandone reaffirmed India’s role on the international stage. India has strongly supported Lao PDR’s Chairmanship of ASEAN for 2024, the statement said.

Following the talks, MoUs/Agreements in the fields of defence, broadcasting, Customs cooperation, and three Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation were exchanged in the presence of the two leaders.

The QIPs relate to the preservation of the heritage of Lao Ramayan, the restoration of Wat Pakea Buddhist temple with murals related to Ramayan, and support to shadow puppetry theatre on Ramayan in Champasak province.

All three QIPs have a Government of India grant assistance of about USD 50000 each, the MEA statement said.

India will also provide grant assistance of about Rs 8 crore ($1 million) to improve nutrition security in Lao PDR. This assistance through the India UN Development Partnership Fund will be the Fund’s first such project in South-East Asia.

Modi also met Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith on Friday and conveyed commitment to further deepen the close partnership between the two countries.

"PM @narendramodi met President Thongloun Sisoulith of Lao PDR in Vientiane today. Underscoring the historical India-Lao civilizational ties, prime minister conveyed our commitment to further deepen the close partnership between the two countries," Jaiswal said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Modi also met President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit.