Prime Minister (PM) attended the 19th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 11 October 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
In his address, PM stressed on ASEAN’s central role in the Indo-Pacific regional architecture, in India’s Indo-Pacific Vision and in Quad cooperation. He underlined that India’s participation in East Asia Summit was an important pillar of its Act East Policy. Noting that a free open, inclusive, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific was important for peace and development in the region, he spoke of the similarity and common approach between India’s Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative and ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific. He emphasized that the region should pursue a development based approach rather than one pivoted on expansionism.
Reiterating the importance of the EAS mechanism and reaffirming India’s support to further strengthen it, PM recalled support received from EAS Participating Countries on the revival of Nalanda University. PM took this opportunity to invite the EAS countries for a Heads of Higher Education Conclave to be held at Nalanda University.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues affecting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Underlining the severe impact of conflicts on the Global South, PM highlighted that the path of dialogue and diplomacy based on a humanitarian approach must be adopted for peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world. He further reiterated that there was no solution for them to be found on the battlefield. Prime Minister stressed that terrorism along with cyber and maritime challenges posed a serious threat to global peace and security, for which countries must come together to combat them.
Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister of Laos for successfully hosting the East Asia Summit. He conveyed his good wishes to Malaysia as the new Chair of ASEAN and expressed India’s full support to it.