Stage set for ASEAN-India Summit, PM Modi to address plenary session

The theme of the Summit is 'Shared Value, Common Destiny'. The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit is being organised to mark 25 years of India-ASEAN relations, 15 years of summit partnership with ASEAN and five years of India's strategic partnership with ASEAN as a block.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be hosting a lunch for the visiting ASEAN guests on Thursday at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

There will be a special Retreat of Prime Minister with ASEAN heads of nations at Rashtrapati Bhawan. 

All 10 leaders of ASEAN countries will attend the Summit, which marks the 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties. 

In a rare occasion, all the ten ASEAN leaders will also be the guests of honour at this year's Republic Day parade on Friday. 

Prime Minister Modi has already held bilateral meetings with leaders of three ASEAN nations - Myanmar, Vietnam and Philippines. 

At the end of bilateral talks between India and Vietnam, an MoU was signed between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India and Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam to enhance cooperation in the field of information and broadcasting based on principles of equality and reciprocity.  

Implementation arrangement between ISRO, Government of India and National Remote Sensing Department of Vietnam was also agreed upon for establishment of tracking and data reception station and data proscessing facility in Vietnam under ASEAN India Space Cooperation.

"This would define the framework and conditions of cooperation for establishment of facility to provide Indian remote sensing satellite data over ASEAN region to enable remote sensing applications," an MEA source said. 

The Prime Minister will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with other leaders of ASEAN countries on the sidelines of the Summit. 

Mr Modi has accorded warm welcome to the visiting ASEAN nation heads and leaders for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit.

"India extends a warm welcome to the @ASEAN leaders who have arrived to take part in the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit (AICS) to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN partnership and our #RepublicDay celebrations. It is the honour of 125 crore Indians to host these eminent leaders," Prime Minister tweeted.