S. Jaishankar
At the ASEAN-India foreign ministers’ meeting in Vientiane, Laos, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized that economic and security cooperation with the ASEAN bloc is a top priority for India. Jaishankar, who is in Vientiane for a series of ASEAN-related meetings, also held bilateral discussions with various counterparts, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar highlighted priority areas for India-ASEAN cooperation, including digital, defence, maritime issues, connectivity, security, health, and cultural heritage preservation. He also addressed the situation in Myanmar, the importance of keeping sea lines of communication open, the Quad’s perspective on ASEAN and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and the conflict in Gaza.
Jaishankar described the meeting as productive and noted that as India celebrates a decade of its “Act East” policy, it values the progress in its comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN and the increasing regional synergy. He reiterated that ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision.
He thanked Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for co-chairing the ASEAN-India foreign ministers’ meetings over the past three years, with the Philippines set to assume this role for the next three years. Jaishankar also welcomed Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister Bendito Freitas as an observer and announced the opening of an Indian embassy in Dili soon.
In addition, Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with several Lao officials, including Home Minister Vilayvong Bouddakham, Industry Minister Malaithong Kommasith, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Sanya Praseuth, and Special Envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun. He also met with Brunei’s Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof to launch a logo celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations and discussed various issues with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
