Act East policy changed engagements with ASEAN, Indo-pacific: Indian envoy

Indian Ambassador to Lao PDR, Prashant Agrawal, on Thursday, stated that the Act East policy, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, has brought about a transformational change in India's engagement not only with ASEAN countries but also with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Lao PDR at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Lao PDR to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit later this year.

"Our participation is especially remarkable because we are marking ten years of our Act East Policy. This policy is an outcome of the PM's visionary leadership under which our engagement with not just the ASEAN countries but with the wider Indo-Pacific has undergone a transformational change. It is reflected in all areas of our engagement, the multidimensional connectivity engagements, partnerships on trade and people-to-people contacts. So this policy has been robust and dynamic in implementation and it's an apt occasion for us to celebrate it again," Agarwal said while speaking to ANI.

The Indian envoy also spoke about the civilizational link of the Ramayana, which is called Phalak Phalam or Phra Lak Phra Ram in Lao.

"Our civilizational links with Lao PDR and also the broader Southeast Asia have a remarkable cultural connect through Buddhism and Ramayana. Lao PDR has its own very interesting Ramayana tradition. It's called 'Phalak Phalam', or 'Phra Lak Phra Ram'. It is very deeply symbolic of our civilizational ties with Lao PDR. This also provides us with a very solid foundation to build our ties further for the coming generations," he added.

Speaking about the relationship between Lao PDR and India, Agarwal mentioned, "We have a strong developmental partnership with Lao PDR which is founded on our shared heritage. Vat Phou is a concrete and living symbol of our closed cultural ties. We are now also taking forward our relationship in areas like digital infrastructure. We are promoting greater trade connectivity and people-to-people contact.."

Prime Minister Modi is expected to travel to Vientiane, Lao PDR, for the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit at the invitation of His Excellency Prime Minister Siphandone of Lao PDR on October 10 and 11.

"We attach great significance to all ASEAN-related mechanisms. This will be the Prime Minister's 10th attendance at the ASEAN-India Summit. And you will recall that even in 2023, just before he was to host the G20 Summit, he made the effort to attend the ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta. That shows the commitment that we have to the ASEAN-related mechanisms," MEA Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar earlier said in a briefing.