PM to leave tomorrow for India-ASEAN, East Asia Summits

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave here tomorrow to attend the 5th India-ASEAN Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit (EAS) at Cebu in the Philippines on January 14-15 as part of the country's efforts to give a fresh impetus to its "Look East Policy" and forge greater interaction among countries of the region.

Dr Singh will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include National Security Adviser M K Narayanan.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath are already in Cebu to attend the ministerial meetings ahead of the two summits. Mr Mukherjee will travel from there to Pakistan for a two-day visit beginning tomorrow.

The two summits were originally scheduled for last month but the Philippines postponed the 12th ASEAN Summit and all other related events because of concerns over an approaching typhoon.

The Prime Minister, who will reach Cebu tomorrow night, is expected to have bilateral meetings with several leaders, including his Chinese and Australian counterparts on Sunday morning.

India sees its "Look East Policy", launched in 1992, not merely as an external economic policy but also as a strategic shift in its vision of the world and its place in the evolving global economy.

It is also India's way of reaching out to its "civilisational neighbours" in South East Asia and East Asia.

Dr Singh will use the opportunity provided by the summits to talk about India's economic growth and the steps taken by his government which have made Indian industry more competitive globally and turned India into a vibrant marketplace and a productive and profitable business destination.

He will also stress that economic activities cannot be confined to national borders and must be channelled to fuel growth in each other's countries.

The Prime Minister believes that the East Asian Community is a natural extension of the India-ASEAN engagement.

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