New Delhi: Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Thursday said that ASEAN has always stood tall as a beacon of regionalism, multilateralism and globalisation. The special ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting was organised in the national capital to mark the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership with ASEAN. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Vivian Balakrishnan, Foreign Minister of Singapore, India’s Country Coordinator, co-chaired the meeting.
In his opening remarks at the special India-ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting, Jaishankar said, "ASEAN has always stood tall as a beacon of regionalism, multilateralism and globalisation. It has successfully carved out a niche for itself in the region and provided the foundation for the evolving strategic and economic architecture in the Indo-Pacific". Meanwhile, Singapore FM Vivian Balakrishnan said, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine has upended the international system of rules, norms and international law which we all depend on."
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Foreign Ministers of other ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretary-General participated in the meeting. The year 2022 has been designated as ASEAN-India Friendship Year. ASEAN-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of sectoral partnership in 1992, which graduated to full dialogue partnership in December 1995, Summit level Partnership in 2002, and Strategic partnership in 2012.
Jaishankar further noted that ASEAN’s role today is perhaps more important than ever before given the geopolitical challenges and uncertainties that the world face. India fully supports a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN, one whose centrality in the Indo-Pacific is fully recognised. The strong convergence of the AOIP and the IPOI is a testimony to our shared vision for the region, Jaishankar said. ASEAN-India ties, anchored in history and nurtured by common ethos, have withstood the test of time and indeed, grown stronger with each passing decade.
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Jaishankar pointed out that the Sectoral Partnership of 1992 matured into a Summit level Partnership in 2002 and further evolved into a Strategic Partnership in 2012. "As we enter the fourth decade of our relationship, our ties, too, must respond to the world that we confront. A better connected India and ASEAN would be well-positioned to promote decentralised globalisation and resilient and reliable supply chains that is so needed by the international community," said EAM during the meeting. He also commended Cambodia for its Chairship of ASEAN at a time when global order is facing multiple challenges and stresses.
Jaishankar said, "It is heartening that we are meeting in person for this first geopolitical Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi. Even so, the Covid pandemic not fully abated and there is much ground yet to be covered as we walk towards post-pandemic recovery". This path has become even more arduous with geopolitical headwinds which we face due to developments in Ukraine and its knock-on effects on food and energy security, as well as fertilizer and commodities prices, and logistics and supply chain disruptions, added the minister, added the External Affairs Minister. Jaishankar further stressed the need for the ASEAN members to identify a new set of priorities while ensuring the early realisation of the ongoing initiatives.
