New Delhi: India hosted ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Secretary General for a Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (SAIFMM) to commemorate 30 years of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. Ministry of External Affairs, India says, meetings were held in an atmosphere of friendship & cooperation.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said ASEAN’s role today is perhaps more important than ever before, given the geopolitical challenges and uncertainties that the world faces.
Speaking at ASEAN Foreign ministers meeting in Delhi, Dr Jaishankar said the association has successfully carved out a niche for itself in the region and provided a foundation for the evolving strategic and economic architecture in the Indo-Pacific.
He said ASEAN has always stood tall as a beacon of regionalism, multilateralism and globalisation. He stressed that India fully supports a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN, one whose centrality in Indo-Pacific is fully recognized.
He said, it is heartening that in person meeting is happening for first ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting even so COVID has not fully abated.
Dr Jaishankar said this path has become even more arduous with geopolitical headwinds which all faced due to developments in Ukraine.
The minister underlined a better-connected India and ASEAN would be well-positioned to promote decentralized globalisation and resilient and reliable supply chains that are needed by the international community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Foreign Ministers and representatives of ASEAN countries in New Delhi. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, he had good interaction with them, as ASEAN-India is celebrating 30 years of close India-ASEAN cooperation.
