Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Cambodia from November 11-13 to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit. Cambodia as the current Chair of ASEAN is hosting these summits. External Affairs S Jaishankar will accompany the Vice President.
Dhankhar will attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in Phnom Penh on 12 November 2022. This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year, the ministry of external affairs said here on Monday while giving details of his schedule.
On November 13, the Vice President will participate in the 17th East Asia Summit which comprises the ten ASEAN member states (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners- India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
During his visit, the Vice President will also have bilateral engagements with the Cambodian leadership. On the margins of the summits, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from other countries as well.
While returning from Phnom Penh, he will also visit Siem Reap to review the preservation and restoration work being undertaken by India at Cambodian heritage sites.
The ASEAN summit is taking place amid a geopolitical turmoil triggered by the Ukraine conflict and China's military muscle-flexing in Taiwan Straits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually attended annual ASEAN-India summit as well as the East Asia Summit in October last year.
The ties between India and the 10-nation ASEAN grouping are on an upswing in the last few years. Both sides also have a strong convergence on the vision of a free and peaceful Indo-Pacific.