New Delhi, January 25: On the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting today in New Delhi, Philippines is reported to have shown interest in Aadhaar- the Indian based biometric system. Reports by ANI inform that the Philippines has sent queries for details on how the Aadhaar system works.

The India-ASEAN (Association for Southeast Asian Nations) Summit is being held in the national capital, with trade and connectivity topping the agenda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East Policy aims at better interaction with ASEAN countries, with Assam and other northeastern states having a special place in the implementation of the Act East Policy. The ASEAN leaders have been very upbeat about their country’s relationship with India during the India-ASEAN Summit.

All the heads of state of ASEAN, a regional grouping of 10 south-east Asian countries, have been invited as chief guests at the Republic Day parade. For the first time that leaders of so many countries are attending the event together. President Ram Nath Kovind is believed to host a banquet in honour of ASEAN leaders. It will be followed by a Leader’s Retreat.

The ASEAN leaders arrived in the national capital on Thursday for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN partnership. The Prime Minister is scheduled to host a dinner in their honour on Thursday.  The leaders were received at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu & Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The leaders who arrived on Wednesday were Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, Myanmar state counsellor Aung Saan Suu Kyi, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Brunei Sultan Hassan al Bolkiah, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak and Laos Prime Minister Thongluin Sisolith.

On the eve of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit (AICS), the Prime Minister had separate bilateral meetings with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam and Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Philippines on Wednesday. In all the three meetings, the visiting dignitaries underscored the importance of ASEAN-India relations for peace, security and socio-economic development in the Indo-Pacific region, and looked forward to the deliberations in the AICS.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2018 04:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).