PM Modi’s second day at ASEAN conference, met US Secretary of State Blinken

New Delhi| Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Laos to attend the ASEAN summit. Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meetings with various leaders of ASEAN countries on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit on Friday. Along with the ASEAN-India Summit, the East Asia Summit is also being organized in Vientiane. On Friday, on the sidelines of the East Asia Conference, PM Modi also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During this, PM Modi expressed his condolences to the people who lost their lives in Cyclonic Storm Milton. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and other members of the Quad group.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the India-ASEAN summit in Laos’ capital Vientiane on Thursday that there is conflict and tension going on in many parts of the world, at a time when dialogue and cooperation between India and ASEAN is extremely important. He called for ‘respect’ for ‘each other’s national integrity and sovereignty’. Speaking at the 21st ASEAN-India Summit, Prime Minister Modi also announced a 10-point plan to commemorate a decade of India’s Act East policy, including ASEAN-India Cyber Policy Dialogue, celebrating 2025 as ASEAN-India Tourism Year, doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University, etc. Prime Minister Modi said that the 21st century is the Asian century, the century of India and ASEAN countries. We are neighbors, partners in the global South and a rapidly growing region in the world. We are peace-loving nations that respect each other’s national integrity and sovereignty.

These 10-point plans were announced
.The year 2025 was declared ASEAN-India’s Year of Tourism. India will give 5 million dollars for this.

. A decade of Act East policy will be celebrated through a number of people-centric activities including Youth Summit, Start-up Festival, Hackathon, Music Festival, ASEAN-India Think Tank Network and Delhi Dialogue.

. To organize ASEAN-India Women Scientists Conference under ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund.

. Doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University and provision of new scholarships for ASEAN students in agricultural universities in India.

. To review the ASEAN-India Commodity Trade Agreement by 2025.

.To enhance disaster response arrangements for which India will provide $5 million.

. Initiating a new track of Health Ministers towards building a health framework.

. Launching a regular mechanism of ASEAN-India cyber policy dialogue towards strengthening the digital and cyber framework.

. To organize workshop on Green Hydrogen.

. Inviting ASEAN leaders to join the ‘Plant a Tree for Mother’ campaign towards climate security.

ASEAN’s 10 member states include Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos. Gathered amid civil war in Myanmar and regional tensions in the South China Sea. Myanmar sent Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Mo to the summit, his first high-level representative to the summit in three years, after ASEAN blocked it from sending political representatives in late 2021.