Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world at the 19th East Asia Summit at Vientiane, Lao PDR and said this is not the age of war and solutions to problems cannot be found in the battlefield.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of Lao PDR Sonexay Siphandone in Vientiane on Friday and congratulated him on successfully hosting the 21st ASEAN-India and 19th East Asia Summits.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit in Laos.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received a warm welcome by members of the Indian and Laotian communities when he arrived at his hotel in Vientiane, Lao PDR to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit.
Amid growing Chinese assertiveness on maritime issues, India and the ASEAN on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
The meeting discussed and deliberated on various matters relevant to strengthening regional digital cooperation in the spirit of digital inclusion and integration.
As a recent Brookings Institution report noted, both the USA and China “would profit from the existence of third-party mechanisms that can provide impartial information, suggest road maps for deconfliction, and outline pathways for collaboration that neither side might trust if emanating from the other”. Asean exerts more influence on China than is commonly understood, especially given its ability to inflict “reputational cost” on Beijing.
"The draft guidelines for HADR cooperation and SoPs for Search and Rescue (SAR) for Indo-Pacific Region, are in the final stages of preparation and will be circulated to EAS countries for comments shortly,"
"Due to Covid-19, all of us had to face a lot of challenges, this challenging time was also a test of the India-ASEAN friendship," PM Modi said, addressing the summit via video conferencing
The summit will review the status of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and take stock of progress made in key areas including Covid-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity, and Education & Culture.
