New Delhi: External affairs minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will be visiting the Thai Capital Bangkok on a two-day visit starting Thursday “to attend Asean-India Ministerial Meeting, the 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS FMM), 26th Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and 10th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Ministerial Meeting”, the MEA said on Wednesday. It is being keenly watched whether Mr. Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo in a bilateral meeting at Bangkok. If so, it will be the first time the two ministers will meet after US President Donald Trump’s recent controversial remark in which he had claimed that PM Modi had asked for his mediation on the Kashmir issue. New Delhi had swiftly denied the claim.
“Both at the EAS FMM and ARF, the EAM will enumerate India’s Indo-Pacific vision, which was elaborated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore in June, 2018. The EAM will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related multilateral meetings,” the MEA meanwhile also said.
In a statement, the MEA said, “The Asean-India Ministerial Meeting, co-chaired by EAM and minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand H.E. Don Pramudwinai on 1 August 2019, will review progress in the implementation of key decisions of the Leaders of Asean member states.”
(AMS) and India arrived at during the 25th Anniversary Asean-India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi on 25 January 2018 and the Informal Asean-India Breakfast Summit held in Singapore on 15 November 2018, as also progress in implementation of the Asean-India Plan of Action (2016-2020). They will also exchange views on important regional and international issues and on ways and means of further strengthening the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership.”
The MEA further said, “The EAM will co-chair the 10th MGC Ministerial Meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H. E. Mr. Prak Sokhonn in the afternoon on 1 August. The Meeting will review practical cooperation under the MGC framework, adopt the MGC Plan of Action (2019-2022) and also discuss the various commemorative activities planned next year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the MGC, which is the oldest sub-regional cooperation framework set up by the Mekong countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam with any external partner.”
On other engagements, the MEA said, “The 9th EAS FMM to be held on 2 August will discuss preparations for the East Asia Summit, scheduled to be held in Bangkok on 4 November 2019. In this context, the Ministers will discuss implementation of the Manila Plan of Action (2018-2022) to implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative, adopted by the EAS Leaders in 2012. The Ministers will also deliberate on the current regional and international issues and on further strengthening of the EAS as the region’s prominent Leaders-led forum for discussion on global political-security and economic issues.”
On other meetings scheduled, the ministry said, “The 26th ARF in the afternoon on 2 August will focus on joint programmes and activities by the Member States and Organisations to foster habit of cooperation and build strategic trust in the region. Under the ARF rubric, India and Myanmar organised a Field Training Exercise on Military Medicine in Lucknow in March 2019 for the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) countries.”
