New Delhi: Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs and former Ambassador to Myanmar and Iran, Saurabh Kumar Thursday participated in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Senior Officials’ virtual meeting. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the ASEAN Regional Forum member states and chaired by Cambodia as the Chairperson of ASEAN.
The meeting reviewed the activities and exchanges of the 27 members of ARF over the past year and deliberated on its plans and activities. Senior Officials exchanged views on regional and international developments, and on the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, maritime and cyber security. Secretary (East) appreciated the role of ASEAN-led architecture particularly the ARF in advancing peace, security, and cooperation in the region.
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Recognizing the evolving traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain, he emphasised the convergence between the ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) and Indo-Pacific policies announced by several ARF countries. He also shared our perspectives on the threat posed by terrorism and the challenges of cyber security.
In the current inter-sessional year, Australia, India and Indonesia co-chaired an ARF workshop on "Law of the Sea and Fisheries” on 7-8 December 2021. India, the US, and Indonesia co-chaired the 13th ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Maritime Security on 12 May this year. India seeks to continue to contribute to ARF activities and processes in the next inter-sessional year.
