Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Laos from October 10-11, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. The Prime Minister’s visit comes at a time when India is marking a decade of the Act East Policy this year.

PM Modi’s visit to Vientiane comes at the invitation of counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit being hosted by Laos, which is the current Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“India is marking a decade of the Act East Policy this year. Relations with ASEAN are a central pillar of the Act East Policy and our Indo-Pacific vision,” the MEA said in an official statement.

The ASEAN-India Summit will review progress of India-ASEAN relations through Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation.

The East Asia Summit, a premier leaders-led forum that contributes to building an environment of strategic trust in the region, provides an opportunity for leaders of EAS Participating Countries, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional importance.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the two Summits.

India’s ties with Southeast Asian countries has been based on civilisational and cultural linkages which have grown into acquiring all the elements of a contemporary relationship. These countries are pillars in India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and its Vision of the Indo-Pacific.