New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday embarked on a two-day visit to Laos, where he will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit at the invitation of his Laotian counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, the current chair of ASEAN.

PM Modi in his departure statement said the East Asia Summit provides an opportunity to deliberate on the challenges to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The statement read, “Today, I am embarking on a two day visit to Vientiane, Lao PDR at the invitation of Prime Minister Mr. Sonexay Siphandone to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia Summit. This year we are marking a decade of our Act East Policy. I will join the ASEAN leaders to review progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of our cooperation.”

The Prime Minister said India shares close cultural and civilisational ties with the region, including with Lao PDR, which are enriched by the shared heritage of Buddhism and Ramayana.

“I look forward to my meetings with the Lao PDR leadership to further strengthen our bilateral ties. I am confident that this visit will further deepen our engagement with ASEAN countries,” PM Modi further said.

The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summits in Vientiane.

His visit to Laos underlines how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries are a significant pillar of India's Act East policy and key partners of New Delhi's Indo-Pacific Vision strongly backed by the Prime Minister's Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative.

"The ASEAN-India Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations through our 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," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an earlier statement.

With Prime Minister Modi firmly supporting ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN outlook on the region, India has, over the last 10 years, believed that a strong and unified ASEAN plays an important role in the emerging dynamic of the Indo-Pacific.