Prime Minister visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia from November 18-20, 2012 to attend the 10th ASEAN-India Summit and the 7th East Asia Summit. Prime Minister met his ASEANcounterparts on November 19. During the meeting, leaders took cognizance of the intensification of relations since their last meeting in Bali in November 2011.
The Leaders also discussed the Commemorative Summit which has the theme ‘ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace & Shared Prosperity’ and which India will host in New Delhi on December 20-21, 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of this relationship and the 10th anniversary of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership.
India’s Dialogue Partnership with the ASEAN countries is one of the cornerstones of its foreign policy and the foundation of the Look East Policy. It is a partnership founded on civilisational ties, an identity of perspective and objectives, capacity-building and connectivity. This partnership is seen as furthering economic growth and prosperity, peace and stability in the region.
From a Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in 1992 and full Dialogue Partnership in 1996, India’s partnership with ASEAN was elevated to annual Summits in 2002 and Cambodia hosted the first ASEAN-India Summit in 2002.
ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit
To mark the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership, India is hosting the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi on December 20-21, 2012. The theme of the summit is ‘ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity’.
The Summit is expected to result in the adoption of the ‘ASEAN-India Vision Statement 2020’, which would chart the future direction of ASEAN-India relations. This would also include recommendations by the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group (AIEPG).
ASEAN and India share the desire that the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit be the culmination of a year-long celebration of the partnership. India is planning a number of G-2-G (Government To Government) activities andP-2-P (People To People) initiatives in consultation with ASEAN capitals in the run up to the summit during the Commemorative year.
The Logo for the Commemorative Summit was launched by External Affairs Minister at a special event organised on the sidelines of the 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh.
Two flagship events being organized as part of the commemorative year events are the ASEAN Shipping Expedition of INS Sudarshini and the 2nd ASEAN-India Car Rally.
INS Sudarshini: The INS Sudarshini Shipping Expedition, which was flagged off from Kochi on 15 September 2012, will end its journey on 26 March 2013. The expedition would trace the ancient trade route along the monsoon wind and is conceptualised to highlight India’s maritime linkages with South East Asia and emphasize connectivity and networking between people of the region.
The Shipping Expedition will call on ports in nine ASEAN countries. Various “Marker” events – B2B events by FICCI and ICC, Kolkata and cultural events by ICCR – are being organized at various ports of call.
ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012: The ongoing 2nd edition of the ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012 was flagged off from Yogyakarta, Indonesia on November 26. After passing through several capitals and cultural and commercial centres, having covered a distance of 7448 kms over 19 days, the Rally would be flagged-down at Guwahati on December 17, 2012.
The rally would be received by the Leaders of ASEAN and India in New Delhi on December 20, 2012, at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit.
In the last one-year, ASEAN and India have had an intensive calendar of meetings and events.
Delhi Dialogue-IV on the theme “India and ASEAN: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability” was held from February 13-14, 2012
Meetings were initiated this year between the Heads of Space Agencies from ASEAN countries and India in June, Environment Ministers in July, and Ministers for Renewable Energy in November
Ministers for Tourism held their third meeting in January, 2012
Agriculture Ministers had their second meeting in October, 2012
India has scheduled meetings ahead between Ministers for Telecommunications, Science & Technology & Commerce & Industry of the two blocks
The first visit of an ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly Delegation to India took place in end-July, 2012
The first Round Table of the ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) was held in August, 2012
An ASEAN-India Expert Meeting on Climate Change took place in June, 2012
A Workshop on Adaptation and Mitigation Technologies in Agriculture in August, 2012
The launch of an ASEAN-India Newsletter on Agriculture and Forestry and an Agri Expo in October, 2012
A Workshop on Cooperation in Renewable Energy in November 2012
The Committee of Permanent Representatives and a delegation from the ASEAN Secretariat visited India in February and August respectively
India is hosting 50 ASEAN diplomats from November 21 for a month, 30 ASEAN farmers and 250 ASEAN students in December this year
The ASEAN-India Business Fair & Business Council meetings will be held from December 18-20, 2012
India has also started consultations on identifying opportunities for cooperation in the SME sector
ASEAN-India Trade
ASEAN-India trade in 2011-12 has reached US$ 79.3 billion, crossing the target of USD 70 billion by 2012 set in 2009. India has a Free Trade Agreement in Goods, which was signed in 2009 and which became fully operational in August 2011. Negotiations are underway on the FTA on Services and Investments.
Sectoral Cooperation
This intensive sectoral cooperation between ASEAN and India had been identified under the Plan of Action for ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity for 2010-15. The activities and collaborative projects under this Plan of Action are being met from the US $50 million committed by India to the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund in 2009.
Another US $5 million are available under the ASEAN India Green Fund set up in 2007 to promote adaptation and mitigation technologies in the area of climate change and US $1 million is being used from the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF) also set up in 2007.
Co-operation In Politico-Security Field
In the politico-security field, India has been participating in the ASEAN Regional Forum, theADMM+and the Extended ASEAN Maritime Forum meetings, and India’s ongoing agenda includes cooperation to combat non-traditional threats such as anti-piracy cooperation, combating terrorism and drug trafficking.
India supports the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and has set up English Language Training Centres, Entrepreneurship Development Centres and Vocational Training Centres in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. India has also allocated over 600 scholarships annually under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) for ASEAN countries. ICCR also extends fellowships to the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) countries.
Connectivity with ASEAN, in all its three dimensions, geographical, institutional and people-to-people is a matter of priority. The Trilateral Highway under construction between India, Myanmar and Thailand would connect Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand.
East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit (EAS) started in 2005 December as a Leaders-led forum comprising of the 10 ASEAN countries, plus Australia, China, India, Japan, ROK and New Zealand. United States and Russian Federation joined at the 6th EAS in Bali, Indonesia in November 2011, taking the membership of EAS to 18 countries.
In a relatively short period of time, the EAS has emerged as an important dialogue forum in the region. It is a Leaders-led forum for dialogue on broad strategic, geo-political and economic issues of common interests, with the aim of promoting peace, security, stability and economic prosperity.
India has participated in all the six Summits held so far.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership, India is hosting the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi on December 20-21, 2012. The theme of the summit is ‘ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity’.
The Summit is expected to result in the adoption of the ‘ASEAN-India Vision Statement 2020’, which would chart the future direction of ASEAN-India relations. This would also include recommendations by the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group (AIEPG).ASEAN and India share the desire that the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit be the culmination of a year-long celebration of the partnership. India is planning a number of G-2-G (Government To Government) activities andP-2-P (People To People) initiatives in consultation with ASEAN capitals in the run up to the summit during the Commemorative year.The Logo for the Commemorative Summit was launched by External Affairs Minister at a special event organised on the sidelines of the 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh.
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