ASEAN is a key pillar in India's Act East Policy.

India's Deputy Foreign Minister for Eastern Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, affirmed: "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a crucial pillar in India's Act East Policy."

India's Deputy Foreign Minister for Eastern Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar. (Source: Flickr)

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in New Delhi, India's Deputy Foreign Minister for Eastern Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, affirmed on March 12: "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an important pillar in India's Act East Policy and its vision for the broader Indo- Pacific region."

The statement was made by Mr. Jaideep Mazumdar at the 27th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting (AISOM) in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

In an official statement, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the AISOM meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Minister Jaideep Mazumdar and his Philippine counterpart Theresa P. Lazaro.

The conference was attended by senior officials and representatives from all ASEAN member states and Timor Leste, an observer state of ASEAN, and the ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General. The Philippines is currently the coordinating country for ASEAN-India dialogue relations.

The MEA stated that the 27th AISOM reviewed the implementation of decisions from the ASEAN-India Summit/ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting (PMC+1) across three pillars of cooperation: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural.

Senior officials appreciated the progress in implementing the 10-point proposal announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Laos in 2024 to further strengthen the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including designating 2025 as the ASEAN-India Tourism Year.

According to MEA, the main topics of discussion at the conference included tourism cooperation, the early completion of the review of the ASEAN-India Goods Trade Agreement (AITIGA), digital partnerships, maritime affairs, connectivity, healthcare, innovation and development, as well as regional and global issues.

Notably, preparations for the ASEAN-India Summit and the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting, both expected to be held later this year in Malaysia, were also discussed.

ASEAN highly appreciates India's continued support for ASEAN and for the ASEAN-led architecture in the region.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/asean-la-tru-cot-quan-trong-trong-chinh-sach-hanh-dong-huong-dong-cua-an-do-post1020238.vnp