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Giving impetus to India's 'Act East' policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a series of meetings in Laos, which is where the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits are being held.
PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Laos on the invitation extended by his counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour upon his arrival. He also participated in a blessing ceremony by senior Buddhist monks of Laos.
Hundreds of members from the Indian community in Laos welcomed PM Modi upon his arrival in Vientiane. The prime minister spoke with the diaspora, signed photographs and witnessed the Bihu dance being performed to welcome him.
ANCIENT TIES
India and Laos have a shared heritage and culture and the prime minister today witnessed an episode of Lao Ramayana, which is called Phalak Phalam or Phra Lak Phra Ram in Laos. The performance highlighted the rich and shared links between the two nations.
"Vijaya Dashami is a few days away and today in Lao PDR, I saw a part of the Lao Ramayana, highlighting the victory of Prabhu Shri Ram over Ravan. It is heartening to see the people here remain in touch with the Ramayan. May the blessings of Prabhu Shri Ram always remain upon us!," PM Modi wrote on social media platform X.
Ramayan continues to be celebrated in Laos for centuries, reflecting the shared heritage and age-old civilisational connection between the two nations. Many other facets of Indian culture were also practised in the Southeastern nation for centuries.
Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand are other nations, predominantly led by Theravada Buddhism have many Ramayan traditions with Buddhist reinterpretations and adaptations.
Notably, Laos was known to ancient Indians as the 'Suvarnabhumi' or the 'Land of Gold'.
As per historical records, when Ashoka waged a war against Kalinga, several people moved to Suvarnabhumi and brought with them Hindu and Buddhist beliefs from across the seas.
Laotian Ramayan is believed to be deeply influenced by the Valmikian narrative and is built on the template of Lao's history and ways of life of the people.
FROM 'LOOK EAST' TO 'ACT EAST'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced a 10-point plan to strengthen India-ASEAN comprehensive partnership and asserted that ties with the regional grouping were critical to guiding Asia's future.
PM Modi noted that India-ASEAN trade had doubled to over USD 130 billion in the past decade and announced a review of the trade in goods agreement to harness the greater economic potential of the partnership.
"I believe that the 21st century - the Asian century - is the century of India and ASEAN nations," the Prime Minister said while addressing the leaders of the ASEAN nations that include Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Singapore.
The Prime Minister said India was commemorating the 10th anniversary of its Act East Policy, which has given new energy, direction and momentum to the historic relationship between India and the ASEAN nations.
"The India-ASEAN Summit was a productive one. We discussed how to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and ASEAN. We look forward to deepening trade ties, cultural linkages and cooperation in technology, connectivity and other such sectors," PM Modi said in a post on X.
The 10-point plan to further strengthen the India-ASEAN partnership includes celebrating the year 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University and providing new grants for ASEAN students at Agricultural Universities in India.
Prime Minister Modi also announced celebrating the decade of Act East Policy through several people-centric activities including Youth Summit, Start-up Festival, Hackathon, Music Festival, ASEAN-India Network of Think-Tanks and Delhi Dialogue.
REGIONAL TENSIONS
PM Modi today said the India-ASEAN friendship was very important at a time when parts of the world were facing conflicts and tensions.
The India-ASEAN Summit is taking place at a time when the region is witnessing tensions between the Philippines and China over maritime issues in the South China Sea and the crisis in Myanmar, where ethnic groups are battling the military regime.
WHAT ELSE IS PLANNED
Besides the 21st ASEAN-India summit, the prime minister will also attend the 19th East Asia Summit. He will also hold several bilateral meetings with heads of states from member countries.
PM Modi's visit underscores how the ASEAN member countries are a crucial part of India's 'Act East' policy. It also reflects New Delhi's cooperation with allies and partners with a common vision of the Indo-Pacific region.
The prime minister has prioritised east and southeast Asia with his vision for an initiative called SAGAR - Security And Growth for All in the Region.
PM Modi's visit to Laos marks important anniversaries of the establishment of India's diplomatic relations with several countries in the region - 75th with Indonesia, 75th with the Philippines, 60th with Singapore and 40th with Brunei.
