PM Modi discusses way to strengthen ties with Laos counterpart

Prime Minister Modi strengthens India-Laos ties through productive discussions on key sectors like economic and defense.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone on Friday (October 11, 2024) held productive discussions aimed at further strengthening the ties between the two countries, including in key sectors like economic and defence.

Mr. Modi arrived on Thursday at the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and also attended ASEAN-India and East Asia summits to further deepen engagement with countries in the groupings.

Mr. Modi also congratulated Laos PM on successfully hosting the 21st ASEAN-India and 19th East Asia Summits.

"Imparting new momentum to India-Laos partnership. PM @narendramodi and PM Sonexay Siphandone of Lao PDR held productive discussions aimed at further strengthening India-Laos ties, including in key sectors of cooperation such as heritage conservation & restoration, development partnership, capacity building, economic, defence, culture and people-to-people ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The two leaders also held productive talks on further strengthening India-Laos civilisational and contemporary ties. They discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation such as development partnership, capacity building, disaster management, renewable energy, heritage restoration, economic ties, defence collaboration, and people-to-people ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Mr. Siphandone thanked Mr. Modi's flood relief assistance provided to Lao PDR in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.

The two leaders noted that the ongoing restoration and conservation of Vat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under Indian assistance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) imparts a special dimension to bilateral ties, the statement said.