India rolled out the red carpet for the ten leaders on January 25-26 once they gathered in New Delhi to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of ASEAN-India relations.
At the commemorative summit, leaders renewed their commitment to strengthen multi-faceted ties between the Southeast Asian group and its neighboring South Asian giant.
The summit was co-chaired by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who chairs ASEAN this yr, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both expressed hope that ASEAN and India will change into closer to one another. They also identified areas of common interest.
“We imagine that India makes a big contribution to regional affairs by helping to take care of the openness, balance and integration of regional architecture,” Prime Minister Lee said, as quoted by Times of the Strait.
As reported Economic TimesIndian and Southeast Asian leaders agreed on Thursday at a summit in New Delhi to strengthen their maritime ties and improve air connectivity to make sure higher connectivity within the region.
India and ASEAN countries may even seek to determine closer air links to advertise tourism, trade and improve connectivity, the declaration added.
Modi invited the leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries to affix him on Friday in India’s Republic Day celebrations with the largest-ever gathering of foreign leaders in a parade that showcases the country’s military strength and cultural diversity.
Leaders attending the summit in New Delhi include Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Asia News Channel reports that New Delhi’s efforts to expand economic ties with Southeast Asia proceed to match pressure from China, whose trade with ASEAN was greater than six times larger than India’s trade in 2016-2017, at $470 million.
Modi said he would work to strengthen relations with ASEAN countries, saying trade had already increased “25 times in 25 years.”
“Investments are solid and growing. We will continue to strengthen trade ties and work for greater interaction between our business communities,” Modi said.
