In Vientiane, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underscored the pivotal role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific strategy during his address on Friday. He is in the Laotian capital for ASEAN meetings, where he emphasized India’s intention to bolster political, economic, and security collaboration with the regional bloc.
At the opening of the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting, Jaishankar highlighted that ASEAN is integral to India’s Act East Policy and its broader Indo-Pacific vision. “For India, ASEAN is the cornerstone of its Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision that was thereafter built on it,” Jaishankar remarked.
He further stressed the significance of enhancing political, economic, and security ties with ASEAN, along with strengthening people-to-people connections. “The current political, economic, and security cooperation with ASEAN is of the utmost priority, as is the expansion of our people-to-people linkages,” Jaishankar added.
The External Affairs Minister noted with optimism that the India-ASEAN partnership continues to grow in scope and depth. His visit to Laos is particularly notable as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of India’s Act East Policy, which was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014, as noted by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
The Act East Policy is India’s strategic initiative aimed at fostering economic, strategic, and cultural ties with the Asia-Pacific region. India aspires for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, grounded in a rules-based international order.
ASEAN consists of ten member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar also met with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, to discuss various topics including education, agricultural technology, the Pacific Islands, and cricket.