Days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to welcome global leaders for the G20 Summit in the capital New Delhi, he will make a quick visit to Indonesia for the Asean-India Summit.
Mr Modi will leave on Wednesday to attend the two-day gathering and the 18th East Asia Summit, aiming to boost maritime security co-operation between India and the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
The East Asia Summit is the foremost of the Asean-centred co-operation forums in the Indo-Pacific.
It plays a significant role in providing a platform for dialogue and discussion on matters of strategic importance to the 10 country bloc made up of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The Indian Prime Minister will hold summit talks with leaders in Jakarta in Indonesia, which is the current chair of the group, on Thursday.
The summit is special since it is the first to be held after the elevation of the India-Asean relationship to a strategic partnership.
The new relationship aims to deepen practical co-operation in areas including maritime, cyber security, digital economy, as well as in new and emerging areas, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said.
“During the summit, the Prime Minister will review the progress in Asean-India relations and provide them with further direction,” said ministry secretary Saurabh Kumar.
“India's relations with Asean are a central pillar of our Act East policy, as well as of India's vision of the wider Indo-Pacific.”
The Asean group was formed in 1967 with an aim of promoting peace and stability in the region that has over 600 million people, intending to accelerate economic, social and cultural development.
India is a dialogue partner of the group along with the US, China, Japan and Australia.
Mr Modi will return to New Delhi on Thursday.
India will host the global leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the weekend during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Delhi.
The G20, comprising 19 countries and the EU, addresses major issues related to the global economy, financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
New Delhi holds the presidency this year.
Mr Modi will also hold bilateral talks with Mr Biden on Friday, a day before the summit begins.
