New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Philippines from November 16 to 18 to attend the 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit and the 21st meeting of the ASEAN-led East Asia Summit process, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon announced the visit during a special media briefing in New Delhi, outlining the Prime Minister’s engagements in Manila.
“In addition to a very active bilateral relationship with all 11 ASEAN member states, we see our engagement with the ASEAN regional platform also as a key element or building block of our Act East policy,” Tandon said.
Modi’s programme will include a dinner hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for visiting dignitaries, followed by the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit the next day. Bilateral meetings with other leaders are also scheduled during the visit.
Tandon said the MEA was also trying to accommodate a meeting between the Prime Minister and members of the Indian community in the Philippines, citing strong demand from the diaspora.
“There is also a very strong demand from the Indian community to meet the Prime Minister, so we are trying to adjust that also in his schedule,” he said.
Highlighting India’s economic engagement with the region, Tandon said ASEAN has emerged as a major trading partner for India, with bilateral trade across the region standing at approximately 122 billion.
“We in India strongly believe that, as an Indian Ocean country that abuts this very important Southeast Asian maritime zone, a strong strategic relationship with the ASEAN member states, as a collective as well as individually, is good for both of us,” he said.
He added that stronger ties would help both sides become more resilient to rapid geopolitical changes and contribute to peace and stability across Asia.
Describing the East Asia Summit as a unique ASEAN-led grouping of eight leaders, Tandon said it provides an informal platform to discuss global security issues and matters of common concern.
He noted that the Philippines, as this year’s ASEAN Chair, is leading the East Asia Summit process, calling it an example of successful ASEAN collective diplomacy.
The theme of this year’s ASEAN Summit and related processes is ‘Navigating the Future’. Tandon said leaders would focus on strengthening collaboration to improve their collective resilience to changing circumstances.
