New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for this year’s ASEAN-related meetings, including the East Asia Summit, due to scheduling issues. Instead, he will join the ASEAN-India summit virtually on October 26, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the 20th East Asia Summit the following day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.
In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi said he had a “warm conversation” with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and congratulated him on Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship. “Had a warm conversation with my dear friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia. Congratulated him on Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and conveyed best wishes for the success of upcoming Summits. Look forward to joining the ASEAN-India Summit virtually, and to further deepening of the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Modi posted on X.
The Malaysian Prime Minister confirmed that Modi would attend the summit virtually. In a statement, Anwar Ibrahim said, “Prime Minister Modi informed me that he will attend virtually due to the ongoing Deepavali celebrations in India at that time. I respect his decision and extended my greetings for a happy Deepavali to him and the entire people of India.”
The ASEAN Summit and related meetings are scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28. Modi has personally led Indian delegations at both the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits in recent years.
Following his phone call with the Indian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim said both leaders discussed advancing bilateral ties “to a more strategic and comprehensive level.” He added, “India remains an important partner for Malaysia in the fields of trade and investment, in addition to close cooperation in the sectors of technology, education, and regional security.”
According to the MEA, the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit will see Prime Minister Modi and ASEAN leaders jointly review the progress in ASEAN-India relations and discuss new initiatives aimed at strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. “Strengthening relations with ASEAN is a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision,” the ministry said.
The East Asia Summit on October 27, to be attended by Dr. Jaishankar, will bring together leaders from the ASEAN nations, along with India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Russia. The forum will “provide an opportunity to deliberate on the challenges to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and exchange views on regional and international developments,” the MEA added.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is regarded as one of the most influential regional groupings. Its 10 member states include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. India, along with several major global economies including the US, China, Japan, and Australia, is a dialogue partner of the bloc.
India’s engagement with ASEAN dates back to 1992, when sectoral dialogue partnership was first established. This was upgraded to a full dialogue partnership in 1995, a summit-level partnership in 2002, and a strategic partnership in 2012. The relationship was further elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in recent years.
Over the past decade, ASEAN-India ties have grown steadily, driven by cooperation in trade, connectivity, digital transformation, and defence. Two-way trade and investment have expanded alongside closer collaboration in maritime security and capacity building.
Malaysia, as this year’s ASEAN Chair, has pledged to continue strengthening cooperation with India and deepen ASEAN-India engagement. “Malaysia will remain committed to strengthening relations with India and further enhancing ASEAN-India cooperation towards a more peaceful and prosperous region,” Anwar Ibrahim said.