PM Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with heads of states of ASEAN countries in Delhi today
Here are LIVE updates of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and PM Nanredra Modi's bilateral talks with ASEAN leaders today:
Even yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders, including Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. After the meeting between PM Modi and the Myanmarese leader, External affairs ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted, "The two leaders had a productive discussion on intensifying bilateral cooperation, including follow up on key decisions taken during PM's visit to Myanmar in September 2017."
Wednesday's meeting came nearly a month after India and Myanmar inked an agreement on restoration of normalcy and development of the Rakhine state, from where thousands of Rohingya Muslims recently fled following incidents of violence against the community. Signed during Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Myanmar, the pact was the first government-to-government agreement by Myanmar with a cooperation partner focused on socio-economic development and livelihood initiatives in the Rakhine state.
Wednesday's meeting came nearly a month after India and Myanmar inked an agreement on restoration of normalcy and development of the Rakhine state, from where thousands of Rohingya Muslims recently fled following incidents of violence against the community. Signed during Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Myanmar, the pact was the first government-to-government agreement by Myanmar with a cooperation partner focused on socio-economic development and livelihood initiatives in the Rakhine state.
Despite having a free trade agreement in services and investments, ASEAN-India trade for the year 2016-17 was only $71 billion, in comparison to the $470 billion trade with China.
Trade will be a major focus area at the bilateral meetings and so will greater infrastructural connectivity, regional development in the northeastern states and regional security.
Experts believe that the meet can be an opportunity for India to present itself as a powerful ally to these countries in the strategic areas of trade and connectivity. There will also be a leaders' retreat today, during which all ten heads of states will have a "free and frank" discussion with Prime Minister Modi. The theme of the retreat session is 'Maritime Cooperation and Security'. The retreat will be followed by a plenary session.
On day two of the summit today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the Southeast Asian countries. The focus of the meetings will be on key areas of counter-terrorism, security and connectivity. The highest-level of participation at the summit, to mark the 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties, comes in the backdrop of China's expansionist tactics and a continuously increasing Chinese economic and military assertiveness in the region.
Days before the arrival of the ten heads of states, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said, "The prime minister's intention that the 'Look East' policy should now be the 'Act East' policy is really taking shape."
(File Photo: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman)
(File Photo: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman)
The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit will mark 25 years of India's ties with the southeast Asian bloc. ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The summit comes at a time when India is making a strategic shift in its regional policy, enhancing its previous 'Look East' policy to the new 'Act East' policy.
Leaders of the ten ASEAN countries, comprising Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, are in India for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit being held in New Delhi. The two-day summit, which began yesterday, will be followed by the grand Republic Day parade and celebrations where the ten visiting heads of states will be present as the chief guests.
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