Chairman’s
Statement Of The 10th ASEAN-India Summit
Phnom Penh, 19 November 2012
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1.
The 10th ASEAN-India Summit, chaired by Samdech
Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 19 November 2012. The Summit was attended
by all Heads of State/Government of the ASEAN Member States and H.E. Dr.
Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India.
2.
We expressed our deepest sympathy and
condolences to the people and the Royal Government of Cambodia and especially
to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah BOROMNEATH NORODOM SIHAMONI, King of
Cambodia, and Her Majesty Queen Mother NORODOM MONINEATH SIHANOUK, for the
passing away of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah NORODOM SIHANOUK, the late
King-Father of Cambodia, on 15 October 2012. We share our sadness of this great
loss with the people of Cambodia during this period of mourning. Cambodia
expressed gratitude to the respective ASEAN Leaders and the Prime Minister of
India for their condolences to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah NORODOM
SIHAMONI, King of Cambodia, Her Majesty Queen Mother, the Royal Government of
Cambodia and the people of Cambodia.
3.
We noted with satisfaction the significant
achievements made in the ASEANIndia Dialogue Relations over the past twenty years.
We were also pleased to note that 2012 marks a milestone year for ASEAN and
India with the twin celebrations of the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN-India
Dialogue Relations and the 10th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Summit, where it
first began in Phnom Penh, in 2002.
4.
We looked forward to the successful convening of
the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi, India, on 20-21 December
2012, to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue
Relations.
5.
We welcomed the convening of various
commemorative activities to mark this special Anniversary, including the
meeting between Heads of Space Agencies, ministerial level meetings in tourism,
environment, agriculture, new and renewable energy, and the sending of the Sail
Training Ship “Sudarshini” on an expedition to ASEAN countries. We also looked
forward to other important commemorative activities, such as the 2nd
ASEAN-India Business Fair and Business Conclave, and the ASEAN-India Car Rally,
which are scheduled to be held in the run up to the ASEAN-India Commemorative
Summit.
6.
We appreciated the good progress made in the
implementation of the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-India Partnership
for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity (2010-2015). We tasked our ministers
to timely and fully implement the Plan of Action to contribute to the further
deepening of the Dialogue Relations and to supporting the ASEAN Community
building efforts.
7.
We commended the excellent work of the
ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in producing a good and concise Report,
which contains many practical recommendations for further advancing our
partnership to the next important level. In this regard, we tasked our
ministers to consider it thoroughly and to implement those key recommendations,
where appropriate.
8.
We recognized the importance of security, peace,
and stability in the region. In this connection, we stressed the need to
strengthen maritime cooperation through the existing mechanism in order to
maintain and promote peace and stability in the region, amidst the growing
security challenges, such as sea piracy, vessel accidents, oil spills,
terrorism and natural disasters.
9.
We were heartened to note that the total trade
between ASEAN and India grew significantly by 43% in 2011 amounting to US$74.9
billion, surpassing our bilateral trade target of US$70 billion for 2012. We
set the target of US$100 billion by 2015 for ASEAN-India trade. In this
connection, we tasked our economic ministers to step up their efforts and
flexibility to conclude the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment
Agreements before the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in December in India.
10. The
Prime Minister of India welcomed the adoption of the Declaration on Drug- Free
ASEAN 2015 by the ASEAN Leaders at the 20th ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, in
April 2012. The ASEAN Leaders looked forward to enhancing cooperation with
India to address the trafficking of illegal drug and narcotics.
11. We
welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration at the 21st ASEAN
Summit in Phnom Penh, on 18 November 2012, and emphasized our continuing
support to realize an ASEAN Community based upon adherence to rules of law,
democracy, promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
12. The
ASEAN Leaders appreciated India’s commitment to support ASEAN Community
building efforts, through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI),
particularly India’s role in establishing and supporting the Entrepreneurship
Development Centres (EDCs) and Centres for English Language Training (CELTs) in
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam. The ASEAN Leaders welcomed the
reaffirmation of India’s support for ASEAN’s central role in the evolving
regional architecture. They encouraged India to continue to lend its support to
the IAI Work Plan II and the Phnom Penh Agenda for ASEAN Community Building,
which was adopted by ASEAN Leaders at the 20th ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, in
April 2012.
13. The
ASEAN Leaders also welcomed India’s commitment to support the Master Plan on
ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and connectivity in the wider East Asia region and
underscored the importance of promoting stronger linkages between ASEAN and
South Asia. In this connection, we called for an early construction of the new
India-Myanmar-Laos-Viet Nam-Cambodia Highway and for the extension of the
India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway to Laos and Cambodia.
14. We
encouraged the strengthening of ASEAN-India connectivity in information and
communication technology (ICT), in particular digital connectivity, through
sharing of best practices in policy, regulations and technological development
and capacity building programmes.
15. The
ASEAN Leaders welcomed the establishment of the India’s Inter- Ministerial
Group on Connectivity and encouraged the regular exchanges between the ASEAN
Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) and India’s Inter-Ministerial Group
on Connectivity to explore concrete ways and means to support the MPAC, in
particular in areas where India has strong expertise and interest.
16. We
welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ASEAN and
India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation in January 2012, which is an
important step to advance our cooperation in tourism and to promote the
increase of tourist arrivals from India to ASEAN and vice versa.
17. We
agreed to enhance our cooperation in human resource development, small and
medium enterprises, food and energy security, through activities such as
capacity building, exchange programs, sharing of best practices, and technical
cooperation.
18. We
encouraged our Ministers for Agriculture & Forestry to ensure timely
implementation of the Medium Term Plan of Action for ASEAN-India Cooperation on
Agriculture and Forestry (2011–2015). We noted with appreciation the successful
conduct of agriculture and food security initiatives, particularly ASEAN-India
Agri Expo, launching of ASEAN-India Newsletter on Agriculture and Forestry, and
series of training and capacity building programmes. We took note of the
enhancement and strengthening of cooperation on food security through the
widening of food production base and exchange of expertise between ASEAN and
India to enhance resilience in food security planning to address price volatility
of food commodities.
19. We
are committed to enhance our cooperation in responding to climate change and
addressing its impacts. In this regard, the ASEAN Leaders appreciated India’s
contribution of US$5 million to the ASEAN-India Green Fund to support
adaptation and mitigation’s cooperation projects and noted the successful
conduct of capacity building initiatives in the sector and the first meeting of
the ASEAN-India Ministers for Environment in September 2012.
20. We
recognized that disaster management remains an issue of high priority for both
ASEAN and India as our two regions are prone to the frequent natural disasters
such as flooding. To this end, we underlined the need to strengthen our
cooperation in disaster management and emergency response to create
disaster-resilient and safer communities in the region. In this connection, the
ASEAN Leaders encouraged India to support the implementation of the ASEAN
Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) and the
operationalization of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance
on disaster management (AHA Centre). We also noted the successful conduct of
First EAS-India Workshop on Building Regional Framework for Earthquake Risk
Management.
21. We
welcomed the successful conclusion of the Sixth Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)
Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi, India, on 3-4 September 2012. We agreed
to intensify our cooperation in the four priority areas under the Mekong-Ganga
Cooperation, namely tourism, culture, education and transportation and
communication, through concrete activities, that aimed at upgrading the
livelihoods of people of the riparian countries.
We also appreciated India’s efforts in establishing an
India CLMV Quick Impact Project Revolving Fund.
22. We
welcomed the institutionalization of various initiatives to promote peopleto-
people contacts, including annual exchange visits of students, media persons,
farmers, scholars, and scientists. We took note of Delhi Dialogue IV in
February 2012 and the first ASEAN-India Round Table of Think Tanks in New Delhi,
in August 2012.
23. We
committed to working closely together on common regional and international
issues of mutual concern and supporting each other’s role at the global level
as well as working together to promote and strengthen inclusive and multi-track
regional arrangements.
24. We
welcomed Brunei Darussalam as the Country Coordinator for ASEANIndia Dialogue
Relations from July 2012 to July 2015. We looked forward to enhancing the
multi-faceted cooperation and advancing the ASEAN-India partnership to a higher
level.
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