Indian Prime Minister Modi's Meeting with Charles Michel, Marcos, and Klaus in Laos

Vientiane (Laos) : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with European Council President Charles Michel, Philippines President Bongbong Marcos, and renowned economist Klaus Schwab in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had meetings with his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. During these discussions, Prime Minister Modi talked about ways to enhance cooperation with global leaders in various sectors.

The Prime Minister wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Had a wonderful conversation with European Council President Charles Michel. Had an amazing conversation with Philippines President Bongbong Marcos and it was nice to meet my friend Martin Schwab." Notably, Martin Schwab is a German mechanical engineer, economist, and founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF). He has served as the WEF's chairman since its establishment in 1971.

In May 2024, the WEF announced that Schwab would transition from his role as Executive Chairman to Chairman of the Board of Trustees by January 2025.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated Japan's newly appointed Prime Minister Ishiba on his new responsibilities and wished him success in taking Japan to new heights. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Modi invited New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to visit India at mutually convenient dates, which he accepted.

They discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, defense and security, renewable energy, education, dairy, agricultural technology, sports, tourism, space, and people-to-people relations. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Earlier, at the ASEAN summit, Prime Minister Modi stated that we are a peace-loving nation and respect each other's national integrity and sovereignty. He emphasized the importance of India-ASEAN friendship, coordination, dialogue, and cooperation at a time when the world is facing conflict and tension.