New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on November 4 left for Cambodia and Laos on a five-day visit aimed at giving a major thrust to co-operation with South East Asia and the Far East.

Vajpayee will address the first-ever India-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) summit in Cambodia on November 5, focussing on threats posed by terrorism and on greater economic and trade ties.

Vajpayee will also discuss with the 10-member ASEAN prospects of a free trade area to further strengthen relations with the grouping, besides an ASEAN integration initiative.

The Prime Minister, who visited Cambodia in April this year, would interact with ASEAN leaders for a comprehensive review of Indo-ASEAN strategic partnership.

In his departure statement, Vajpayee said India and the ASEAN countries had a long history of cultural, social and economic interaction.

"With the recent expansion of ASEAN, we have an even closer geographical proximity. The upgradation of our dialogue with ASEAN to the summit-level is a recognition of political, economic and security inter-linkages which we have established particularly over the last decade," he said.

PTI