Vice President Hamid Ansari returned home tonight after concluding his four-day two-nation trip of Cambodia and Laos during which he held talks with the top leadership of the two countries to bolster India's economic engagement with the ASEAN region.
Ansari, who travelled to Cambodia on the first leg of his trip, held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen following which two MoUs were signed - one on tourism and the other on "quick impact projects".
The Vice President travelled to Siem Reap and visited Angkor Wat, the world's largest Hindu temple complex. India has allayed Cambodian concerns over reports of building of the temple's replica in Bihar.
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He also visited the Ta Prohm temple and the Mekong-Ganga Textile museum in Siem Reap which was set up with India's assistance.
Ansari then travelled to Laos, the first visit by an Indian Vice President to this country.
He held talks with his Laotian counterpart Bounnhang Vorachith following which two MoUs were signed, including one on "quick impact projects" and another on the Air Services Agreement, which allows airlines from both countries to operate direct flights between them.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
