Prime Minister Modi visits Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo
The ASEAN-India Summit is testament to a shared vision and collaboration for a better future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (September 7, 2023) as he joined other leaders for the meet in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

"Always a delight to meet @ASEAN leaders. The ASEAN-India Summit is testament to our shared vision and collaboration for a better future. We look forward to working together in futuristic sectors which will enhance human progress," Prime Minister Modi wrote in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as he shared a photograph with ASEAN leaders. 

Prime Minister Modi, who arrived in Jakarta early on Thursday morning, received a warm welcome from members of the Indian community. He is in Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo and will also attend the 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta. 

Earlier, in his departure statement before leaving New Delhi on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Modi said, "I look forward to discussing with ASEAN leaders the future contours of our partnership, which has now 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".

He also spoke about attending the 18th East Asia Summit. "This forum provides a useful opportunity to deliberate on issues of importance to the region including food and energy security, environment, health, and digital transformation. I look forward to exchanging views with other EAS Leaders on practical cooperation measures to collectively address these global challenges," Prime Minister Modi stated. 

"I warmly recall my visit to Indonesia for the G-20 Summit in Bali last year, and I am confident that this visit will further deepen our engagement with the ASEAN region," he added. 

India and ASEAN have a comprehensive engagement covering a wide array of areas at all levels, including seven ministerial engagements besides several official level ones. 

India and ASEAN share a similar vision for the Indo-Pacific and are committed to building on the synergy between ASEAN's Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar said on Tuesday (September 5, 2023), ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Indonesia.

The East Asia summit, on the other hand, brings together at the leadership level, ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States.

"Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in providing a platform for dialogue and discussion on matters of strategic importance to the region," Secretary (East) Kumar noted.
 
India as the founding member of the East Asia Summit has been committed to strengthening the mechanism and making it more effective to deal with contemporary challenges, he added.