December 19, 2012
1. India is hosting the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on December
20-21, 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of our dialogue-level
partnership and the 10th anniversary of our Summit-level partnership
with ASEAN. The theme of the Summit is ‘ASEAN-India Partnership for
Peace and Shared Prosperity’.
2. The Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam, the Sultan of Brunei, the Presidents of Indonesia
and Myanmar and the Vice President of the Philippines are participating
at the Summit. Cambodia, as the ASEAN Chair, will be Co-Chairing the
Commemorative Summit with India. Brunei is now the Country Coordinator
for ASEAN’s Dialogue Partnership with India.
3. ASEAN-India dialogue relations have grown rapidly from a sectoral
dialogue partnership in 1992 to a full dialogue partnership in December
1995. We have had annual Summits since 2002.
4. Ongoing collaboration under the ASEAN-India partnership is guided
by the Plan of Action (2010-2015) for Peace, Progress and Shared
Prosperity adopted at the 8th ASEAN-India Summit in 2010 in Hanoi, Viet
Nam. At the 10th ASEAN-India Summit at Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November
2012, ASEAN and Indian Leaders took stock of progress under the Plan of
Action.
5. At the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit Plenary on December 20,
2012, the Leaders are expected to set out their vision for the future
direction of ASEAN-India relations in order to enhance the level of
engagement and integration between the ASEAN countries and India.
6. ASEAN and India have had an intensive year of engagement to mark
the 20th anniversary of the relationship. Ministerial level meetings
have been held on Tourism, Environment, Agriculture, Renewable Energy
and Trade & Economic matters. The Heads of Space Agencies of ASEAN
and India met in June this year. There has been engagement between
experts at multiple workshops relating to climate change, mitigation and
adaptation technologies in agriculture and potential cooperation in
renewable energy. An Agri-Expo has been held for the first time with
ASEAN countries. India has continued and intensified its
people-to-people programmes for the ASEAN and is currently hosting 220
ASEAN students, 27 ASEAN farmers, 30 ASEAN diplomats and 13 Senior
Editors under the institutionalized mechanisms for such capacity
building cooperation. An Indian Navy Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini
is on a 6 month long ASEAN Expedition and the 2nd ASEAN-India Car Rally
has just concluded in Guwahati after traversing almost 8000 kms from
Yogjakarta in Indonesia through 8 ASEAN countries to India. All ASEAN
countries have participated in these events.