Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's statement prior to departure for Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam

"I am leaving today on a tour of East Asia during which I will visit Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Japan, I will hold my Annual Summit meeting with Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The tradition of Annual Summits with Japan has resulted in a strong, vibrant and multi-dimensional relationship between India and Japan .

Strengthening of the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership enjoys fullest support across the political spectrum in both our countries and is a factor of peace, prosperity and stability in Asia and the world.

Japan is a major economic partner of India. We have embarked upon mega infrastructure projects with Japanese assistance which have the potential of transforming our economy. Our trade and economic relationship is set to enter a new phase. I look forward to detailed discussions with Prime Minister Kan on bilateral, regional and global issues. I will also be addressing business leaders at the Nippon Keidanren, and will meet a cross-section of Japanese political leaders.

My visit to Malaysia will be my first bilateral visit to that country. Malaysia plays a key role in the ASEAN region. This follows the landmark visit of Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib to India in January 2010 and reflects the strong mutual desire for a qualitatively new partnership between the two countries. I will seek new areas of understanding with Prime Minister Najib that reinforce the rich bonds of history and culture that unite us. In today's unsettled world, it is all the more important for societies that are democratic, multi-religious and multicultural to work together. We share a special bond with Malaysia because it is home to one of the largest People of Indian Origin communities of over two million, and I look to forward to meeting some of them.

I expect my visit to lead to greater integration of our two economies and cooperation in the areas of infrastructure development, railways, knowledge industries, energy, defence and greater people-to-people exchanges. I have accepted Prime Minister Najib's invitation to deliver the Khazanah Global Lecture 2010 on India 's development experience.

The 8th India-ASEAN Summit and 5th East Asia Summit will take place in Vietnam, a country with whom we enjoy a close and strategic partnership. The scale and range of our interaction with the ASEAN countries has expanded significantly in the last six years. I will discuss with the ASEAN leaders a road map for our future cooperation which will be reflected in an India-ASEAN Plan of Action for 2010-2015.

The East Asia Summit represents the desire of the Asia Pacific region to build an open and inclusive architecture of regional cooperation. In its short period of existence, the EAS process has made significant progress. This year's Summit is expected to welcome the US and Russia into the EAS process. I will update the EAS leaders on steps taken by us on the revival of the Nalanda University, which was endorsed by the Summit in 2009.

On the margins of East Asia Summit, I will have the opportunity to meet other world leaders, including the Prime Minister of Vietnam who is hosting the Summit, the President of Republic of Korea, Prime Minister of Australia, Premier of the State Council of China and the Prime Minister of Singapore."