Modi leaves for Indonesia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on Tuesday for Indonesia on a five-day three-nation tour of Southeast Asia that will take him to Malaysia and Singapore.

"PM @narendramodi emplanes for Jakarta. He will be visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the next few days," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted.

"During these visits, he will be attending a wide range of programmes including talks with world leaders, interactions with students and top CEOs," it said.

In a pre-departure statement here on Monday Modi said he was "confident that my visit to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore will provide a further boost to our Act East Policy and enhance our relations and engagements with all the three countries".

Modi will hold a bilateral summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on May 30. He will also address members of the Indian community in Indonesia.

On May 31, Modi will make a brief stopover in Malaysia on his way from Indonesia to Singapore to meet newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, who governed for more than two decades became, at the age of 92, the world's oldest elected leader earlier thius month.

On June 1, Modi will call on Singapore President Halimah Yacob and then hold a summit with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Later in the evening, he will deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so in the Track I annual inter-governmental security forum.

--IANS

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