New Delhi: Ahead of the special India-ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting slated to be held on June 16, and 17, New Delhi hosted the 24th ASEAN-India senior officials meeting on Wednesday. Secretary (East), Saurabh Kumar co-chaired the 24th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’(SOM) Meeting, with Permanent Secretary of Singapore Albert Chua, today in New Delhi.
The meeting saw the participation of senior officials from the ASEAN Member States. The SOM reviewed the ASEAN-India strategic partnership and its future direction. As India and ASEAN celebrate the 30th anniversary of their Dialogue Relations, the SOM leaders made their assessment of the progress of cooperation under all three pillars of partnership – political-security, economic and socio-cultural.
The meeting also deliberated on the steps for further implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025). The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest including the Covid-19 pandemic post-pandemic recovery.
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Secretary (East) welcomed the positive contributions and continued support of Singapore in strengthening ASEAN-India Relations as the Country Coordinator. Underlining the centrality of ASEAN in India's vision of the Indo-Pacific, he emphasized the implementation of the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) to strengthen the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership.
The ASEAN side appreciated India's support to ASEAN and ASEAN-led architecture in the region. The two sides also took stock of the calendar of activities to celebrate the year 2022 as ASEAN-India Friendship Year marks the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Partnership. The strong historical and cultural ties between India and ASEAN continue to provide a solid foundation for the ASEAN-India partnership as it enters its fourth decade.
