<p> Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today in the Laotian capital to attend the ASEAN-India and the East Asia Summits to strengthen India's trade and security ties with the strategic Southeast Asian region.<br /><br /></p>.<p>During his two-day visit, Modi is scheduled to have several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summits, beginning with an interaction with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe today.<br /><br />"Greetings Vientiane! PM @narendramodi arrives in Laos for a packed 2 days of diplomacy," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.<br /><br />The host nation, Laos will organise a gala dinner this evening for all heads of state. This will be followed by Modi's bilateral talks with Laotian counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith.<br /><br />The talks between the two leaders are likely to focus on terrorism, maritime security, disaster management, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).<br /><br />India has been seeking to join the exclusive 21-member APEC.<br />This is the third time that Modi is attending these two Summits.<br />"ASEAN is a key partner for our 'Act East' policy, which is vital for the economic development of our Northeastern region," Modi had said in a statement in New Delhi ahead of the Summits.<br /><br />East Asia Summit is the premier forum for discussions on the challenges and opportunities before the Asia Pacific region, he had said.<br /><br />India is a founding member of the East Asia Summit.<br />Future directions under the three pillars of politico-security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation will be the focus of talks at the 14th ASEAN-India summit .<br /><br />At the 11th East Asia Summit, leaders will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concerns including maritime security, terrorism, non-proliferation and irregular migration.<br /><br />The Summits will be attended by Heads of State/Government of the 10 ASEAN and 18 East Asia Summit Participating Countries respectively.<br /><br />India's engagement with the ASEAN and wider Asia-Pacific region has acquired further momentum following the enunciation of the 'Act-East Policy' by Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th East Asia Summit in Myanmar in November 2014.<br /><br />The leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.<br /><br />2017 will mark 25 years of India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN, and several commemorative activities will also be announced by Modi to celebrate the occasion.<br />ASEAN is a strategic partner of India since 2012.<br /><br />India and ASEAN have 30 dialogue mechanisms which meet regularly.<br />Trade between India and ASEAN stood at USD 65.04 billion in 2015-16 and comprises 10.12 per cent of India's total trade with the world.<br /><br />The ASEAN-India economic integration process has got a fillip with the creation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area in July 2015, following the entry into force of the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment Agreements.<br /><br />Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia.<br /></p>
<p> Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today in the Laotian capital to attend the ASEAN-India and the East Asia Summits to strengthen India's trade and security ties with the strategic Southeast Asian region.<br /><br /></p>.<p>During his two-day visit, Modi is scheduled to have several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summits, beginning with an interaction with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe today.<br /><br />"Greetings Vientiane! PM @narendramodi arrives in Laos for a packed 2 days of diplomacy," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.<br /><br />The host nation, Laos will organise a gala dinner this evening for all heads of state. This will be followed by Modi's bilateral talks with Laotian counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith.<br /><br />The talks between the two leaders are likely to focus on terrorism, maritime security, disaster management, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).<br /><br />India has been seeking to join the exclusive 21-member APEC.<br />This is the third time that Modi is attending these two Summits.<br />"ASEAN is a key partner for our 'Act East' policy, which is vital for the economic development of our Northeastern region," Modi had said in a statement in New Delhi ahead of the Summits.<br /><br />East Asia Summit is the premier forum for discussions on the challenges and opportunities before the Asia Pacific region, he had said.<br /><br />India is a founding member of the East Asia Summit.<br />Future directions under the three pillars of politico-security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation will be the focus of talks at the 14th ASEAN-India summit .<br /><br />At the 11th East Asia Summit, leaders will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concerns including maritime security, terrorism, non-proliferation and irregular migration.<br /><br />The Summits will be attended by Heads of State/Government of the 10 ASEAN and 18 East Asia Summit Participating Countries respectively.<br /><br />India's engagement with the ASEAN and wider Asia-Pacific region has acquired further momentum following the enunciation of the 'Act-East Policy' by Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th East Asia Summit in Myanmar in November 2014.<br /><br />The leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.<br /><br />2017 will mark 25 years of India's dialogue partnership with ASEAN, and several commemorative activities will also be announced by Modi to celebrate the occasion.<br />ASEAN is a strategic partner of India since 2012.<br /><br />India and ASEAN have 30 dialogue mechanisms which meet regularly.<br />Trade between India and ASEAN stood at USD 65.04 billion in 2015-16 and comprises 10.12 per cent of India's total trade with the world.<br /><br />The ASEAN-India economic integration process has got a fillip with the creation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area in July 2015, following the entry into force of the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment Agreements.<br /><br />Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia.<br /></p>