External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar unveiled the first postage stamp on Ram Lalla of Ayodhya during his three-day visit to Vientiane, the capital city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, from 25 to 27 July 2024. He was in Vientiane to attend ASEAN related foreign minister meeting.
Dr Jaishankar left for Tokyo, Japan, to attend the meeting of the foreign ministers of QUAD.
During his visit to Vientiane, S Jaishankar and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Laos, Saleumxay Kommasith, jointly unveiled two sets of postal stamps. The stamps' theme was “Celebrating the shared cultural heritage of Lao PDR and India.”
One postal stamp depicted Ram Lalla's idol from Ayodhya, and the other was released to commemorate Lord Buddha from Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is the ancient capital of Lao.
Lao is now a predominantly Buddhist country, but its culture and traditions have been deeply influenced by Hinduism also.
In Laos, Ramanaya is known as Ramakien or the story of Phra Lak Phra Ram, and it is performed during important cultural events.
S.Jaishankar attended the QUAD Foreign Ministers meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on 29 July 2024.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India, Penny Wong of Australia, Yoko Kamikawa of Japan, and the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended the meeting.
The foreign minister expressed concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly opposed any unilateral action by any country that disturbed the peace and security of the region.
China is in dispute with the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries over the vast South China Sea area, which China claims as its own. The area is rich in Oil and Gas resources.
At the foreign ministers' meeting, it was announced that India will host the next QUAD Summit meeting in 2024, and the United States will host the next QUAD foreign ministers' meeting in 2025.
For details about Jaishankar's visit to Lao to attends ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India click here