Indian PM To Attend KL ASEAN-India Summit In November

By M. Santhiran NEW DELHI, June 1 (Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 13th ASEAN-India summit scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur in November this year, said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. She said ASEAN member countries have always been a key element in Indian foreign policy and Modi's presence will be crucial in engaging further with the country's partners in the region. Sushma was responding at a question-and-answer session with local and foreign journalists at her ministry here Sunday on the Modi government's achievements in the last one year on the foreign policy front. Later, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the minister, Vikas Swarup, told Bernama that it was too early to say whether Modi will have any other programmes or events during his visit to Kuala Lumpur. The 12th ASEAN-India summit was held at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, last year and the 13th summit will be hosted by Malaysia as the current chairman of ASEAN. The last official visit by an Indian prime minister to Malaysia was in October 2010 when Dr Manmohan Singh came to Kuala Lumpur. During the press conference, Susma highlighted the details of the achievements of Modi's government over the last one year, saying it had had 162 diplomatic engagements with 101 countries with some emphasis on African nations. She explained India's engagement with its neighbours, including Pakistan. She also touched on India’s engagement with countries such as the United States, China and Russia, which she said was favourable in terms of bringing in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). -- BERNAMA