Jaishankar to meet new British counterpart in Bangkok tomorrow

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is slated to meet his British counterpart Dominic Raab in Bangkok on August 1.

The EAM would be in Bangkok to attend a host of engagements, including the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, the 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting (EAS FMM), 26th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and 10th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Ministerial Meeting from August 1 to August 2.

The ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, co-chaired by EAM and Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Don Pramudwinai, will be held on August 1.

It would aim to review progress in the implementation of key decisions of the leaders of ASEAN Member States (AMS) and India, the parties involved would be reviewing progress in the implementation of key decisions taken during - (a) 25th Anniversary ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, (b) Informal ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit and (c) review progress in the implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2016-2020).

They will also exchange views on important regional and international issues and on ways and means of further strengthening the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to co-chair the 10th MGC Ministerial Meeting with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Prak Sokhonn, in the afternoon on August 1.

"The meeting will review practical cooperation under the MGC framework, adopt the MGC Plan of Action (2019-2022), and also discuss the various commemorative activities planned next year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the MGC, which is the oldest sub-regional cooperation framework set up by the Mekong countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam with any external partner," an official press release stated.

On August 2, the 9th EAS FMM would be held to discuss preparations for the East Asia Summit, scheduled to be held in Bangkok on November 4 this year.

In this context, the Ministers will discuss the implementation of the Manila Plan of Action (2018-2022) to implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative, adopted by the EAS Leaders in 2012. The Ministers will also deliberate on the current regional and international issues and on further strengthening of the EAS as the region's prominent leaders-led forum for discussion on global political-security and economic issues.

Later in the afternoon, Jaishankar is slated to attend the 26th ARF. The forum will focus on joint programs and activities by the member-states and organisations to foster the habit of cooperation and build strategic trust in the region.

"Under the ARF rubric, India and Myanmar organised a Field Training Exercise on Military Medicine in Lucknow in March 2019 for the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) countries," the statement added.

Both at the EAS and ARF, Jaishankar will enumerate India's Indo-Pacific vision, which was elaborated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore in June 2018.

The EAM will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related multilateral meetings, including the one with Raab.