The 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings will officially begin in Manila, the Philippines, tomorrow. The Philippines is hosting the summit under its 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship with the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.”
Leaders of ASEAN member countries and partner nations are expected to discuss regional cooperation, trade, security and other important issues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Philippines from November 16 to 17 to participate in the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit. His participation is expected to provide an opportunity to strengthen India’s partnership with ASEAN nations.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro described India-Philippines relations as good. She said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have held bilateral meetings earlier and such engagements will continue in the future.
India and ASEAN share close ties, with ASEAN being an important part of India’s Act East Policy. The summit is expected to further strengthen cooperation between India and Southeast Asian countries.
