PM Modi emplanes for India after concluding his two-day Laos visit

He participated in the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia Summits and held meetings with leaders from Laos, Thailand, and New Zealand. He also met with other top leaders like South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and the newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Prime Minister Modi was in Laos at the invitation of Laos's Prime Minister, Sonexay Siphandone. He arrived in Vientiane on Thursday.

Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister was welcomed by the Minister of Home Affairs of Laos, Vilayvong Bouddakham. He was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour in Laos capital city of Vientiane.

Following that, he interacted with Indian diaspora in Vientiane. He greeted Indian community members as they were excited to meet him outside the hotel in Laos.

On Thursday, PM Modi participated in the 21st ASEAN-India Summit. His visit remains significant as this year marks a decade of India's Act East Policy.

Sharing the details of PM Modi's visit to Laos, the MEA said on Thursday, "PM Modi has arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. At the airport, he was received by senior ministers of the Laos government and accorded a ceremonial welcome but what was truly special was the warm and very significant, meaningful welcome that he received at the hotel."

The Prime Minister also met several world leaders on the sidelines of ASEAN-India, and East Asia summits in Laos.

Meanwhile on Thursday, after he addressed the 21st ASEAN-India summit in Vientiane, Prime Minister Modi met with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Taking to X, PM Modi said that he was glad to meet his friend PM Albanese on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India summit."Glad to meet my friend, PM Albanese," PM Modi said.

PM Modi also interacted with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, saying that it was always a delight to interact with him.

"Always a delight to interact with PM Anwar Ibrahim," he said on X.

Before this, PM Modi held a meeting with Japan's newly appointed Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit and reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful, safe, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, recognising India and Japan as indispensable partners.

PM Modi also held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon on Thursday, October 10. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi, who was the first leader to speak at the 19th East Asia Summit following the host and the incoming chair Laos, has termed the Summit as an "important pillar" of India's Act East Policy.

He stressed that the revival of Nalanda was India's commitment given at the earlier East Asia Summit.In his address at the East Asia Summit PM Modi said India has always supported ASEAN unity and centrality and that ASEAN is at the centre of ASEAN's Indo-Pacific vision as well as Quad cooperation.

The East Asia Summit refers to the Meeting of Heads of State/Governments of the EAS participating countries which is convened annually. The EAS process was initiated in 2005 with the convening of the 1st East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At its inception, the East Asia Summit comprised 16 participating countries, namely ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. In 2011, the US and Russia joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in Bali. (ANI)