Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to travel to Malaysia to participate in meetings related to the ASEAN Summit beginning on Sunday, owing to scheduling issues, sources said on Wednesday.

It is learnt that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the deliberations to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28. However, there is a possibility that the Prime Minister may join the ASEAN-India Summit through virtual mode.

So far, there has been no official announcement regarding India’s level of participation in the upcoming summit. According to people familiar with the development, India has already informed Malaysia that Jaishankar will attend the ASEAN meetings on behalf of the country.

Prime Minister Modi has led the Indian delegations at the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits in recent years. Malaysia has also extended invitations to US President Donald Trump and several other leaders from ASEAN’s dialogue partner nations. Trump is expected to visit Kuala Lumpur on October 26 for a two-day trip.

India’s engagement with ASEAN began with a sectoral partnership in 1992, which evolved into a full dialogue partnership in 1995 and a summit-level partnership in 2002. The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012.

The 10-member ASEAN bloc includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. In recent years, India-ASEAN ties have seen steady growth, with greater emphasis on cooperation in trade, investment, security and defence.

According to the initial plan, Prime Minister Modi was also scheduled to visit Cambodia alongside Malaysia. However, following the change in travel plans, the proposed Cambodia visit has now been postponed, sources added.