Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Vientiane, the Indian community of Laos gathered outside his hotel to warmly welcome him. PM Modi on Thursday departed for a two-day visit to Laos to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit on the invitation of his Laotian counterpart, Sonexay Siphandone.

As PM Modi embarked on his journey, he took to X and wrote, “Leaving for Lao PDR to take part in the 21st ASEAN-India and 19th East Asia Summit. This is a special year as we mark a decade of our Act East Policy, which has led to substantial benefits for our nation. There will also be various bilateral meetings and interactions with various world leaders during this visit.”

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PM Modi arrived in Vientiane, Laos, to a ceremonial guard of honor and a warm welcome from Home Affairs Minister Vilayvong Bouddakham. During the visit, he witnessed the Lao version of the Ramayana, Phalak-Phalam being enacted. He also met the Indian diaspora at the Double Tree Hotel in Vientiane and participated in the blessing ceremony by senior Buddhist monks there.

#WATCH | PM Modi interacts with the people of the Indian diaspora at Hotel Double Tree, in Vientiane.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Vientiane, Lao PDR at the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia Summit.… pic.twitter.com/UgGTQeN9oq

— ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2024

“I will be joining the ASEAN leaders to assess our progress in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and outline the future direction of our cooperation,” the Prime Minister said. The East Asia Summit would be a forum where leaders will address challenges facing peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, he stated.

Jaideep Mazumdar, the secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India places immense value on all Asean-related mechanisms.”

Speaking to ANI, Prashant Agrawal, the Indian Ambassador to Lao PDR, said, “Our participation is especially remarkable because we are marking ten years of our Act East Policy. This policy is an outcome of the PM’s visionary leadership under which our engagement with not just the Asean countries but with the wider Indo-Pacific has undergone a transformational change. It is reflected in all areas of our engagement, the multidimensional connectivity engagements, partnerships on trade and people-to-people contacts. So this policy has been robust and dynamic in implementation and it’s an apt occasion for us to celebrate it again.”

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