Prime Minister set to meet Asean leaders

New Delhi: With an eye to create a maritime security architecture with the Asean countries Prime Minister Narendra Narendra Modi is set to hold a series of bilateral meeting with the visiting heads of the States of 10 ASEAN countries in the run-up to the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit slated to be held here on January 25 and 26.

Prime Minister is supposed to arrive the capital from Davos on Wednesday early morning.

On January 25, the visiting dignitaries will meet the Prime Minister in a retreat in the sprawling Moghul Garden of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In that retreat subject of discourse has been selected as maritime and security cooperation.

Generally, in all other multilateral summit retreat subject kept wide open for the convenience of the head of the states. But this year as India is celebrating commemorative summit with the ASEAN, a specific agenda has been circulated to all member states for a closure of the subject.

In a media briefing, Secretary (East) Preeti Saaran ssaid, "We are discussing a very important agreement on how to enhance maritime connectivity with the ASEAN countries. We will also hold Working Group Meeting of the civil

aviation ministries before the summit to discuss air connectivity,"

Modi will hold his first bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the evening, followed by Rodrigo Duterte, President of Philippines. In the same evening, the PM will meet State Councillor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders after Bangladesh and Myanmar had agreed to an arrangement for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

The repatriation process has faced some road blockade as displaced Rohingyas fear some violent backlash in Rakhine state again. Though Myanmar Government has agreed to take back refugees, Bangladesh Government is yet to finalise the list of refugees.

The talk between two heads of governments may figure as Bangladesh Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali had recently met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi and urged to put pressure on Myanmar Government for early repatriation of the refugees.

On January 25, President Ramnath Kovind will host a luncheon banquet in honour of the Asean leaders in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Before that Prime Minister Modi would have a bilateral engagement except with the President of Indonesia whom he will meet in the late evening after the first day of Summit.

It has already been reported in Millennium Post that all head of the state and government of the ASEAN countries will be attending Republic Day parade in the Rajpath for the first time.