PM to attend ASEAN-India summit in Laos today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be on a visit to Laos for two days (October 10 and 11), will witness the Laos adaptation of the epic Ramayana — or Ramakien, as it is popularly known in southeast Asia.

The PM will attend the 21st ASEAN-India summit. ASEAN is a southeast Asian grouping with 10 countries and is vital for India’s ‘Act East Policy’. He will also attend the 19th East Asia Summit being hosted by Laos as the current chair of ASEAN.

Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary East in the MEA, today said: “We have a very rich list of deliverables between India and ASEAN.” He listed the digital public infrastructure as possible outcomes of the meet. On the trilateral highway, Mazumdar said: “Thailand is very keen, as keen as us, that this is completed at the earliest.”