India’s PM Modi to attend ASEAN-India summit ahead of G20

New Delhi, Sep 5 (EFE).- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to personally attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with India (ASEAN-India) this week in Indonesia, according to the Indian foreign ministry on Tuesday.

The ASEAN-India summit is scheduled to be held in Jakarta on Thursday, days before the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi.

“The prime minister will participate in the ASEAN summit along with heads of government of the ASEAN member states,” foreign ministry official Saurabh Kumar said at a press briefing.

Modi is expected to depart from New Delhi on Wednesday night and return late in the evening on Thursday, Kumar added.

“Given that the G20 summit follows shortly after the ASEAN summit, it will be a short visit,” the official said, adding that Modi was not scheduled to hold any bilateral visits in Jakarta.

The ASEAN is made up of Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei.

India initiated a formal engagement with ASEAN in 1992 as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner, but it was not until the 2002 summit that the first bilateral summit between them was held. EFE

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