Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not likely to be present at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26 due to time constraints, PTI reported, citing official sources on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is likely to represent India, but there is no word on this from the government yet. Sources had said that India has already intimated Malaysia that EAM Jaishankar would head the delegation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that Modi will participate in the ASEAN-India Summit virtually. In a X post he wrote, "Last night I received a phone call from my counterpart, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, to discuss efforts to strengthen Malaysia-India bilateral relations to a more strategic and comprehensive level”, said Ibrahim.
"He announced that he would attend online given the Deepavali festival which was still being celebrated in India at that time," he stated further. He also wrote, “I respect the decision and extend my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India. Malaysia will remain committed to strengthening Malaysia-India relations and further enhancing ASEAN-India cooperation towards a more peaceful and prosperous region.”
Attention turns to domestic politics and trade negotiations
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now focusing on the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, with Modi set to take part in celebrations of Chhath Puja next week, according to sources cited by the Hindustan Times. Meanwhile, talks between India and the United States regarding a bilateral trade deal are underway following Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal's two-day trip to Washington last week.
ASEAN summit: Deepening regional bonds
The 47th ASEAN Summit is scheduled to be held from October 26–28 in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has invited various world leaders, including President Trump. India has been engaging with ASEAN since 1992, and the nature of this engagement has progressed from a sectoral partnership to a strategic partnership in 2012.
PM Modi was originally supposed to travel to Cambodia along with Malaysia, but with his itinerary changed, the Cambodia portion has also been rescheduled, PTI reported.
