Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had a very successful visit to Vientiane , 28-30 November for the 3 rd India-ASEAN Summit. PM was accompanied by External Affairs Minister, National Security Advisor, Secretary (East), Secretary (Commerce), Additional Secretary (PP&R), Media Advisor to PM, JS(SEA-1), JS(PMO), JS (XP) and other senior officials.

The 3 rd India-ASEAN Summit, November, 2004, was very successful: the historic ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity was signed by our PM and the leaders of ASEAN. A Plan of Action was adopted to expand and deepen our partnership and cooperation in the new century. A number of other concrete proposals for enhancing India-ASEAN interaction in diverse fields were made by PM.

Prime Minister flagged off the second leg of the first ever India-ASEAN Car Rally in Vientiane - started from Guwahati and ending in Indonesia - aimed to promote India-ASEAN relations, connectivity, trade, investment, tourism and people to people links between India and ASEAN.

On the margins of the India-ASEAN Summit, Prime Minister met the Lao Prime Minister and called on President Khamtay Siphandone.

For the first time, the Summit was preceded by a meeting of Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and India .

EAM also delivered a keynote address on ASEAN-India a wider scope for Economic Opportunities at the 2 nd ASEAN Business & Investment Summit. Business leaders from CII and FICCI attended the 2 nd ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, 27-28 November.

External Affairs Minister Shri K. Natwar Singh and Lao Education Minister jointly inaugurated the Lao-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Vientiane . The Centre was established with Indian assistance to CLMV countries under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration process that seeks to bridge the development gap between older ASEAN members and the new entrants, Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV).

Our EAM and the Lao Minister in the Prime Minister's Office inaugurated an IT Centre set up with GOI assistance. This project is expected to go a long way in contributing to strengthening digital opportunities for economic growth, poverty reduction, employment generation and sustainable use of resources and integration in Laos .

The 3 rd ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane was indeed a historic event. Laos played a pivotal role in successfully steering India 's relations closer with ASEAN.