Vietnam attends fifth India-ASEAN Dialogue

The dialogue titled ˈIndia-ASEAN: Vision for Partnership and Prosperity” draw the participation of political and economic leaders, government officials and experts from ASEAN member countries and India.

The two-day dialogue focused on topics:  ‘India-ASEAN Security Cooperation: Towards Peace and Stability,’ ‘Non-Traditional Security Challenges: Food Security, Water Management and Pandemics,’ ‘Future of Global Energy Market: Role of New and Renewable Energy in Sustainable Development,’ ‘Cooperation between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) and North-East India: Opportunities and Challenges,’ and ‘Expanding Networks through Connectivity: Land, Sea and Air.’

In his opening speech, Indian Foreign Minister Salma Khurshid said the India-ASEAN Delhi Dialogue is an annual international conference of political and economic leaders, officials, academics and opinion-makers of ASEAN member countries with their Indian counterparts to discuss how to intensify and broaden political, strategic, economic and civil society interaction between the two regions.

It also aims to assess and incorporate issues and perspectives emerging from the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit 2012 to help identify areas of greater engagement between India and ASEAN member countries.

This year’s dialogue demonstrates India and ASEAN’s wish to strengthen the strategic partnership for peace, progress and prosperity.

India-ASEAN relations are shown in their ideologies, cultures, mutual understanding, and connectivity between civilizations, histories, trade exchanges and education, he said.

India and ASEAN account for one quarter of the world population and their combined GDP amounts to $3.8 trillion.  Their two-way trade turnover exceeded the target of $70 billion last year, up 37 per cent from the 2011-2012 figure. They are striving to lift bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015.

The two sides have joined hands to address non-traditional challenges and ensure political security. India has actively participated in ASEAN forums and continued to support the regional bloc’s central role in shaping regional structure.

FM Khurshid also praised the two sides’ cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organized crime, money laundering and drug trafficking.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh highlighted India’s “Look East” Policy which was adopted in 1991 to enhance its relations with ASEAN member countries.

ASEAN-India relations were upgraded to a full dialogue partnership in 1995 and their relationship has been constantly consolidated through annual summits since 2002.

Since its being upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2012, the ASEAN-India relationship has developed in a rapid, comprehensive and dynamic manner, covering such areas as politics, security, economics, culture, social affairs and development cooperation.

Minh urged ASEAN and Indian officials to make a mid-term assessment of the two sides’ action plan and work out a roadmap for activities through 2015.