New Delhi:Minister for External Affairs Dr Jaishankar on Monday met ASEAN Secretary General Dr Kao Kim Hourn and discussed ways to enhance the ASEAN India strategic partnership. Pleased to meet Secretary General Dr Kao Kim Hourn of ASEAN on Monday morning. Discussed taking forward our comprehensive strategic partnership. Our agenda focused on connectivity, food security and trade," EAM Jaishankar wrote in a post on X.
To boost the India-ASEAN strategic partnership, Secretary General of ASEAN Dr Kao Kim Hourn is on a visit to New Delhi from February 11 to 15. This is his first official visit to India since assuming charge in January 2023. Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy, which has entered into its 10th year in 2024, as well as its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, he will visit the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Gaya. He is scheduled to deliver an address on 'The Future of ASEAN: ASEAN's Relevance and Resilience in the Evolving Strategic Environment' at the Nalanda University in Rajgir.
Students from ASEAN Member States pursue higher education at the university under ASEAN-India Cooperation Projects. The Nalanda University also leads the ASEAN-India Network of Universities (AINU). In 2022, the ASEAN-India relations were elevated to a comprehensive Strategic Partnership. India firmly supports ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). India also supports the priorities set by Lao PDR in its ASEAN Chairmanship for the year 2024 under the theme ”ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”.
Read more:18th ASEAN-India Summit Today: PM To Review Status Of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership
