New Delhi, June 1: The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, H.E. Thongsavanh Phomvihane, along with his wife, Watsana Phomvihane, will be on an official visit to India from June 1 to June 3, 2026.
The Ministry of External Affairs has released details of his itinerary. Phomvihane is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Monday night at 9:50 PM. He will be welcomed at the ceremonial lounge of Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
On Tuesday, June 2, the delegation will participate in various events in Agra. However, detailed information about the programs has not been disclosed.
The final day of the visit, Wednesday, June 3, will feature several important meetings for the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. At 11 AM, he will meet with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House. This meeting is expected to cover bilateral relations between India and Laos, as well as regional and international issues.
At 2 PM, the India-Laos Business Forum will take place, involving representatives from the business and industrial sectors of both countries. The forum aims to promote economic cooperation and investment opportunities.
At 5 PM, Phomvihane will pay a courtesy call on the President of India. This meeting is considered significant for strengthening the traditional friendly relations between the two nations.
After concluding his engagements, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Laos will depart for his home country from New Delhi at 11:30 PM on Wednesday.
India and Laos have maintained close and friendly relations for a long time. This high-level visit is expected to give new momentum to political, economic, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
The relationship between India and Laos dates back decades. Following Laos’s independence, India established diplomatic relations in February 1956, considering its strategic importance. India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Laos in 1954, and the country’s first President visited in 1956. This landlocked Southeast Asian nation is strategically significant as it is surrounded by China and Myanmar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the East Asia Summit held in Vientiane, Laos, in 2024, during which several important agreements were made. Laos has openly supported India on various occasions, and India has made every effort to strengthen ties. Laos has supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and was the first country to issue a postage stamp featuring Ram Lalla during the inauguration of the Ram Temple. India also provided assistance to Laos during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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