Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the American Center in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday (October 11, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope on Friday (October 12, 2024) for a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and preventing a broader conflict, as he backed efforts by the fragile state to assert itself against Hezbollah.

Mr. Blinken again said that Israel, which has been carrying out deadly strikes on Lebanon, “has a right to defend itself” against Hezbollah, but said he was alarmed by the worsening humanitarian situation.

“We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region,” Mr. Blinken told reporters after an East Asia Summit in Laos.

“We all have a strong interest in trying to help create an environment in which people can go back to their homes, their safety and security and kids can go back to school,” he said.

“So Israel has a clear and very legitimate interest in doing that. The people of Lebanon want the same thing. We believe that the best way to get there is through a diplomatic understanding, one that we’ve been working on for some time, and one that we focus on right now.”

Later in the day, Mr. Blinken spoke by phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

Lebanon’s presidency has been vacant for two years, and Mr. Blinken stressed “the need to empower leadership that reflects the will of the people for a stable, prosperous, and independent Lebanon”.

He said that “Lebanon cannot allow Iran or Hezbollah to stand in the way of Lebanon’s security and stability”.

The statement did not mention discussions on a possible ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

After a year of cross-border fire with Hamas ally Hezbollah over the Gaza war, Israel has expanded its operations in Lebanon.

Mr. Blinken said the United States would work to support the fragile Lebanese state to build itself up after Hezbollah’s long-held sway. “It’s clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest — a strong interest — in the state asserting itself and taking responsibility for the country and its future,” he said.

He also said that the United States was voicing concern directly to Israel on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“I have real concern about the inadequacy of the assistance that’s getting to them,” Mr. Blinken said, adding that the United States has been “very directly engaged with Israel” on the topic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of East Asia Summit, in Vientiane, Laos.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday ( October 11, 2024) met his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and discussed ways to improve trade ties and boost cultural linkages between the two nations.

Prime Minister Modi is in Laos on a two-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.

PM Modi met PM Shinawatra on the sidelines of the East Asia summit.

“Met PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Lao PDR. Thailand is a deeply valued friend of India’s,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

“Our talks were focused on how to improve trade ties between our nations and to boost cultural linkages. We also see great scope in sectors like defence, shipping, digital innovations and more,” he said.

Ms. Shinawatra became Thailand Prime Minister in August this year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 19th East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, October 11, 2024 briefly interacted with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Vientiane in the Laotian capital.

Prime Minister Modi is in Laos on a two-day visit. During the visit, he attended the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia summits.

Mr. Modi met Mr. Blinken on the sidelines of the East Asia summit.

Mr. Modi on Thursday held a “very productive” meeting with newly-appointed Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba during which they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in different areas, including infrastructure, connectivity and defence.

He also met his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on the margins of the ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File photo
| Photo Credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 10, 2024) expressed confidence that his visit to Laos to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits will further deepen engagement with ASEAN countries.

In his departure statement, Mr. Modi noted that India is marking a decade of Act East policy this year.

“I will join the ASEAN leaders to review progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of our cooperation,” the Prime Minister said.

The East Asia Summit will provide an opportunity to deliberate on the challenges to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

Mr. Modi said India shared close cultural and civilisation ties with the region, including with Lao PDR, which are enriched by a shared heritage of Buddhism and Ramayana.

“I look forward to my meetings with the Lao PDR leadership to further strengthen our bilateral ties,” he said.

Mr. Modi is visiting Lao PDR at the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia summits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Laos on October 10 and 11 during which he will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday (October 8, 2024).

Laos is the current chair of ASEAN.

Watch: India’s ASEAN outreach | Importance of PM Modi’s SE Asia visit

On the invitation of his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister Modi will visit Vientiane on October 10-11, the MEA said in a statement.

During the visit, Mr. Modi will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit being hosted by Laos as the current chair of ASEAN, it said.

Mr.Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the two summits, according to the MEA.

“India is marking a decade of the Act East Policy this year. Relations with ASEAN are a central pillar of the Act East Policy and our Indo-Pacific vision,” the MEA said.

The ASEAN-India Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations through “our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” and chart the future direction of cooperation.

“The East Asia Summit, a premier leaders-led forum that contributes to building an environment of strategic trust in the region, provides an opportunity for leaders of EAS Participating Countries, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional importance,” the Ministry said.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Indonesia for a two-day visit to attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) on September 6-7, the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday.

PM Modi will be in Jakarta at the invitation of the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia comes ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 under India’s Presidency this year. Indonesia is part of the G20 ‘troika’ as it had the presidency of the grouping last year.

The forthcoming ASEAN-India Summit will be the first Summit since the elevation of ties between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations bloc of countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.

The foreign ministry said that the the Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of cooperation.

According to a statement, the East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity for leaders of ASEAN countries and its eight dialogue partners, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional and global significance.

In August, ASEAN-India Economic Ministers met in Indonesia and the main agenda of this year’s meeting was the timely review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) which was signed in 2009.

A joint committee agreed to a regular, quarterly schedule of negotiations, which would conclude the review of the ASEAN-India FTA in 2025.

In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jakarta at the invitation of Indonesian President Widodo. During this visit, both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in all areas by establishing a New Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to take the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and India into a new era.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)