Ahead of the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th East Asia Summit scheduled in Indonesia today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from members of the Indian diaspora in Jakarta upon his arrival on Thursday morning.
As the Prime Minister reached the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jakarta, the Indian community welcomed him with chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Modi Modi', 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi'. They also waved the tricolour upon his arrival.
PM Modi was also seen interacting with the diaspora, including children. The enthusiastic people also took several selfies with the Prime Minister. "He (PM Modi) is such a big leader but he is so down to earth, he shook hands with all of us and gave time to each one of us..." said one of the members of the Indian diaspora in Jakarta.
PM Modi given a ceremonial welcome
The Indian Prime Minister was given a ceremonial welcome after he arrived at the Jakarta International Airport on Thursday. He was received by I. Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, Indonesia's Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Protection. An Indonesian cultural dance was also performed at the venue.
PM Modi is visiting Jakarta at the invitation of the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo. Before his departure on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said that he is looking forward to exchange his views with other leaders on cooperating in a practical manner to address global challenges.
“My first engagement will be the 20th ASEAN-India Summit. I look forward to discussing with ASEAN leaders the future contours of our partnership, which has entered its fourth decade. Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership entered into last year has injected new dynamism in our ties,” the Prime Minister said.
Addressing a special press conference on Tuesday, Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, stressed that the Prime Minister will review the progress in ASEAN-India relations and provide them direction to further enhance the cooperation.
The timings of the ASEAN-India Summit have been adjusted so that PM Modi can return to New Delhi on Thursday evening to attend the much-anticipated G20 Summit.
What is ASEAN?
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a group of ten nations-- Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Besides, the ten influential nations, India, the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.
The bloc was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok. The ASEAN Summit is held twice annually at a time to be determined by the Chair of the ASEAN Summit in consultation with other ASEAN Member States. The summit is to be hosted by the ASEAN Member State holding the ASEAN Chairmanship.
The First ASEAN Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia on 23-24 February 1976. This year Indonesia is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current Chair of the ASEAN.
Why does it matter for India?
The event is significant for India as it is a platform where leaders of major countries such as the US, Japan and China meet and expand their ties- both economically and culturally.
According to MEA, this year, summit is "special" as it is the first meeting after the elevation of the relationship between the two sides to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year.
Besides, the ministry said that the trade relations between India-ASEAN nations are significant-- $131.5 billion in 2022-23-- which is the second largest after India-EU trade. Therefore, the Indian side will definitely grab the opportunity to boost trade relations among the partner nations.
(with ANI inputs)
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