Indian president visits Laos on "look East" mission

Sep 9, 2010, 10:43 GMT

Vientiane, Laos - Indian President Pratibha Patil arrived in Vientiane Thursday on a five-day visit to Laos in pursuit of India's 'look East' policy, officials said.

'Patil's visit to Laos and Cambodia will reaffirm our pursuit of a closer and enduring partnership with the countries of the ASEAN region as part of our look-East policy,' India's External Affairs Ministry said.

Laos, a mountainous country half the size of France, is a member of ASEAN, or the Association of South-East Asian Nations, with which India has been fostering close ties over the past decade.

Patil, who was invited by Lao President Choummaly Sayasone, is the second Indian president to visit Laos since the two countries established diplomatic relations after the Indochina War.

Laos has been ruled by a communist regime since December 1975 and remains one of the world's few communist states today. It is one of the world's poorest nations.

Patil is to hold talks with Sayasone and Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh.

She was scheduled to visit Laos' ancient capital of Luang Prabang before flying Monday to Phnom Penh for the second leg of her 10-day, two-country trip.