New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the Bandung Conference of Asian and African countries in Jakarta later this month and has deputed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on his behalf.

He has written to Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressing his regrets for not being able to attend the meet on April 24.

In the letter, which was delivered yesterday by Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, Anil Wadhwa, the Prime Minister also invited Widodo to visit India and said he was looking forward to visiting Indonesia at a mutually convenient time.

Indonesia is commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Asian-African 1955 Bandung Conference and the 10th Anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership in Bandung on April 24, which will be preceded by a Ministerial and Asian- African Summit in Jakarta.

“I regret that due to long prior travel commitment just before the conference and the resumption of the Budget Session of Parliament that week, I will miss the opportunity to participate in an event that holds great significance for us.

“We will be represented by my senior colleague, External Affairs Minister Swaraj, whose long experience in international affairs is accompanied by a deep sense of commitment to Asian solidarity,” the Prime Minister said.

Asserting that he attaches extraordinary importance to the bilateral relations with Indonesia, Modi said there was much in our proximity, history, culture and now, the sheer democratic values and our roles as two major emerging Asian nations that impart great strategic importance to our partnership.

Noting that in these 60 years, Asia has seen unprecedented economic progress, rise of democracy and elimination of poverty, Modi said yet it must still deal with unresolved questions and unsettled issues for enduring peace and prosperity in the region.

– PTI