Before G20 Summit in India, PM Modi to visit Jakarta for ASEAN-India and East Asia summits next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia's capital Jakarta on September 6 and 7 to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits, said the Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement on Saturday. 

Shoring up India's trade and security ties with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is likely to be the focus of Modi's engagement with leaders of the bloc, according to PTI reports. 

“PM Modi will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia on September 6 to 7 at the invitation of Joko Widodo, the President of the Republic of Indonesia,” the statement read. 

The ministry said that PM Modi will attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th East Asia Summit being hosted by Indonesia as the current Chair of the ASEAN. 

The ASEAN-India Summit will be the first since the elevation of ties between the two sides to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year, as per PTI reports. 

The MEA said that the summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of cooperation. 

According to the External Affairs Ministry, the East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity for leaders of ASEAN countries and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.

The ties between India and ASEAN have been on a significant upswing in the last few years with a focus on boosting cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defense, PTI reported. 

The 10 members of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Notably, PM Modi's visit to Indonesia to attend the ASEAN-India Summit comes before the G20 Summit in India which is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10. The two-day summit will draw leaders and delegates from 40 countries, including the 20 member states.

The G20 Summit in New Delhi is set to be hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan. 

(With PTI inputs)