Jun 16: India hosted ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Secretary-General for a Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (SAIFMM) on 16-17 June 2022 to commemorate 30 years of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. In recognition of this milestone, the year 2022 is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year as announced by ASEAN and Indian leaders at the 18th ASEAN-India Summit in October 2021.
The SAIFMM was co-chaired by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, and Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore. The Meeting was also attended by Foreign Ministers of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and representatives of Foreign Ministers from Lao PDR, Philippines, and Thailand along with the Secretary-General of ASEAN. The Ministers reviewed the status of the ASEAN-India Partnership and set out the path for the coming decade. The discussions included key focus areas of Covid-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity – physical and digital, Education & Capacity Building, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). The Ministers also exchanged views on important regional and international developments and post-pandemic economic recovery. The Meeting unanimously adopted the Co-Chairs’ Statement. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ and ASEAN Secretary-General also called on Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
During this visit, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, ASEAN Secretary-General, and Representatives of Foreign Ministers along with Dr. Jaishankar will also address the Ministerial Session of the twelfth edition of Delhi Dialogue (DDXII) which focuses on 30 years of ASEAN-India relations with the theme ‘Building Bridges in the Indo-Pacific’. Launched in 2009, Delhi Dialogue is India’s premier annual Track 1.5 Dialogue, which aims to strengthen ASEAN-India relations in the context of contemporary global and regional scenarios.
Overall, the meetings were held in an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation and underlined the importance India attaches to its relations with ASEAN, as exemplified through its Act East Policy and the centrality of ASEAN in its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific.
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