Jaishankar discusses bilateral ties with Turkiye counterpart meet scholars in Laos

     Vientiane (Laos), Jul 27 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan here during which the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues.
     Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
     The two leaders met on the sidelines of the meetings.
     “Met with FM @HakanFidan of Turkiye on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane. Discussed our bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues,” Jaishankar posted on X.
     After participating in the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum and addressing the 14th East Asia Summit (#EAS) of the Foreign Ministers Meeting, Jaishankar went ahead with his cultural interactions, including with monks.
     “Pleased to interact with scholars from Lao PDR including six monks, who are travelling to India for their studies under various @iccr_hq programs. Happy to see India-Laos education partnership and capacity building in action, touching lives of common people,” he said in another post on X.
     He also said he was glad to launch the Common Yoga Protocol in the Lao language developed by the Art of Living Chapter in Vientiane. “Appreciate the efforts of our Lao friends and AOL for making Yoga more accessible, representing the real spirit of #InternationalDayOfYoga,” he said in a post on X.
     Earlier in the day, the External Affairs Minister called on Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and raised the issue of trafficking of Indian nationals through cyber scam centres in the Southeast Asian country and discussed development partnership and cooperation in areas like defence and energy.
     Jaishankar also met his Laotian counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith during which they witnessed the exchange of MoUs on 10 Quick Impact Projects for Laos and cooperation in sharing successful digital solutions.
     The projects will come under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) initiative.
     The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications.
     The two leaders also launched a special stamp set celebrating shared cultural treasures of Ramayana and Buddhism.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)