 "PM Modi unlikely to attend Asean summit in Malaysia, Jaishankar to represent India")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the upcoming Asean summit in Malaysia, scheduled from October 26 to 28, PTI quoted sources familiar with the matter as saying on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will instead lead India’s delegation at the meetings, the agency reported.
While the official details of India’s participation have not been released, there remains a possibility that PM Modi could join the Asean-India summit virtually. The prime minister has led the Indian delegations at the Asean-India summit and the East Asia Summit in the last few years.
India is learnt to have conveyed to Malaysia that Jaishankar will represent India at the ASEAN meetings, the sources cited above told PTI.
The report comes against the backdrop of speculation in some sections about a Modi-Trump meeting in Malaysia during the Asean summit amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries following the US president’s disruptive tariff moves.
Malaysia has invited US President Donald Trump as well as leaders of several countries which are the dialogue partners of the Asean. Trump is set to travel to Kuala Lumpur on October 26 on a two-day trip.
The Asean-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of a sectoral partnership in 1992. This graduated to full dialogue partnership in December 1995 and summit level partnership in 2002.
The ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012.
The 10 member countries of Asean are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe two-way relations between India and Asean have been on a significant upswing in the last few years with focus being on boosting cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defence.
According to the initial plan, a visit by PM Modi to Cambodia along with Malaysia was being contemplated. However, as he is not travelling to Malaysia, the planned trip to Cambodia stands postponed, the people cited above said.
(With inputs from agencies)
 "'Spoke to PM Modi...': Trump claims India will stop buying Russian oil by year-end")
 "Australia vs India LIVE Score, 2nd ODI in Adelaide: Shubman Gill and Co face do-or-die match; Rohit, Kohli’s form in focus again")
 "'Ended wars, made America rich': Trump defends his tariffs, trade tussles")
 "Trump slaps 'tremendous' sanctions on Russian oil over Putin's 'refusal' to end Ukraine war")
 "'Spoke to PM Modi...': Trump claims India will stop buying Russian oil by year-end")
 "Australia vs India LIVE Score, 2nd ODI in Adelaide: Shubman Gill and Co face do-or-die match; Rohit, Kohli’s form in focus again")
 "'Ended wars, made America rich': Trump defends his tariffs, trade tussles")
 "Trump slaps 'tremendous' sanctions on Russian oil over Putin's 'refusal' to end Ukraine war")
