New Delhi: Ahead of the two-day Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that begins here tomorrow, Secretary (East), Saurabh Kumar co-chaired the 24th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting, with Permanent Secretary of Singapore Albert Chua.
The Meeting Wednesday saw the participation of Senior Officials from other ASEAN Member States. The SOM reviewed the ASEAN-India strategic partnership and its future direction.
As India and ASEAN celebrate the 30th anniversary of their Dialogue Relations, the SOM leaders made their assessment on the progress of cooperation under all three pillars of Partnership – political-security, economic and socio-cultural.
The Meeting also deliberated on the steps for further implementation of ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025). The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest including the COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic recovery.
Secretary (East) welcomed the positive contributions and continued support of Singapore in strengthening ASEAN-India Relations as the Country Coordinator.
Underlining the centrality of ASEAN in India’s vision of the Indo-Pacific, he emphasized the implementation of ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) to strengthen the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership. The ASEAN side appreciated India’s support to ASEAN and ASEAN-led architecture in the region, an official statement said.
The two sides also took stock of a calendar of activities to celebrate the year 2022 as ASEAN-India Friendship Year to mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India Partnership. The strong historical and cultural ties between India and ASEAN continue to provide the solid foundation for ASEAN-India partnership as it enters its fourth decade.
