India, Asean elevate ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

NEW DELHI : India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Saturday elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, pledging to enhance cooperation in areas ranging from maritime and cyber security to inter-operability of digital financial systems.

This was the main outcome of the Asean-India Summit held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar led the Indian delegation to the summit, which included external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

India and Asean forged a strategic partnership in 2012, and secretary (East) Saurabh Kumar told a media briefing the further elevation of ties will lead to a focus on five specific areas – maritime security, joint implementation of projects in the Indo-Pacific, cybersecurity and inter-operability of digital financial systems, new technologies for sustainable development, revival of tourism, and joint efforts to promote peace and stability across the region.

According to joint statement issued after the summit, India and Asean will advance maritime cooperation, including maritime security, countering piracy, search and rescue operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster management. The two sides will explore activities to implement the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

They will strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity, digital economy and fintech, including the inter-operability of digital financial systems.

During the summit, Dhankhar underlined Asean’s centrality in India’s vision of the Indo-Pacific and said the partnership with Asean is a key pillar in the “Act East” policy, Kumar said.

Kumar said a scoping exercise for the review of the free trade deal had been completed and the actual review will now start. “All countries expect that this review will be done soon and the new agreement will facilitate trade and be business-friendly. Twoway trade is currently worth $110 billion and we believe this will increase with the new agreement,” he said.