VP Jagdeep Dhankhar to visit Cambodia to attend ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, 17th East Asia Summit

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will embark on a 3-day visit to Cambodia today to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit. Cambodia is hosting these Summits as the current Chair of ASEAN. The Vice President will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

Briefing media in New Delhi, Secretary East, Saurabh Kumar said the Vice President will also have bilateral meetings with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other dignitaries at Phnom Penh. This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year.

Secretary East said that during the Summit, the Vice President and ASEAN leaders will review the commemorative activities which are being held during the course of the year. They will also take stock of the progress made and exchange views of future course of the relationship. Important regional and international developments will also be discussed



during the talks. This will be the first foreign visit of Vice President Dhankhar.

Mr Kumar said ASEAN India strategic partnership stands on a strong foundation of shared geographical, historical, and cultural ties. ASEAN is central to India's Act East policy and the wider vision of Indo-Pacific. India and ASEAN have nearly 30 dialogue mechanisms that meet regularly.

The East Asia Summit has played a significant role in the strategic and geopolitical evolution of East Asia. Apart from the ASEAN member states, East Asia Summit includes India, Japan, South Korea, China, New Zealand, Australia, the US, and Russia. India, being the founding member of the East Asia Summit, remains committed to strengthening it and making it more effective to deal with contemporary challenges. At the Summit this year, leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen the East Asia Summit mechanism as well as matters of regional and international importance.