S Jaishankar reaches Laos to attend ASEAN meet

H said he looked forward to deepening ties with the bloc as India marks a decade of its Act East Policy.

Vientiane: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reached here to participate in the ASEAN meeting and said he looked forward to deepening ties with the bloc as India marks a decade of its Act East Policy.

Jaishankar was invited by Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Lao People's Democratic Republic, to participate in the Foreign Ministers' Meetings under the ASEAN framework in the format of ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

“Arrived in Vientiane, Laos to take part in the ASEAN-mechanism meetings. Look forward to further deepening India's ties with ASEAN as we mark a decade of Act East Policy,” Jaishankar posted on X.

The visit underlines India's deep engagement with and the importance India attaches to the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, India’s strong commitment to ASEAN unity, ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and taking forward the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement in New Delhi ahead of his visit.

The visit is of particular significance that this year marks a decade of India's Act East Policy, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014, the MEA said.

Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other countries in Vientiane on the margins of the ASEAN-related meetings.

Foreign ministers from Southeast Asian nations and top diplomats from key partner countries such as the United States and China have gathered here for the three-day meet. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are among the attendees.