Mission Updates

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS MASAGOS ZULKIFLI AT THE INAUGURAL SESSION OF THE DELHI DIALOGUE IV ON MONDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2012, IN NEW DELHI, INDIA

 

"INDIA AND ASEAN: PARTNERS FOR PEACE,
PROGRESS AND STABILITY"

 

1 It is an honour for me to be here today among this distinguished gathering of policy makers and thinkers, academics and business leaders from India and ASEAN. I would like to express my appreciation to the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs and its partners, ICWA and FICCI, for organising the Delhi Dialogue. Now in its fourth edition, the Delhi Dialogue has emerged as a premier platform for dialogue and engagement between India and ASEAN on issues of regional security and cooperation. I am happy to note also that from Southeast Asia, ISEAS, SAEA Group and ERIA are supporting this important event. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Minister Krishna for his initiative in spearheading the book "Two Decades of India's Look East Policy", a publication of ICWA, which he will launch later today. This is a timely project. It documents for posterity India's vision of the changing dynamics in international relations that led to India reaching out and renewing its connection with Southeast Asia and ASEAN.

 

Excellencies,

 

2 This year we will commemorate twenty years of the India-ASEAN Dialogue Partnership. The relationship has come a long way, from a sectoral dialogue partnership in 1992 to full dialogue status in 1995. This was further elevated with the convening of the annual India-ASEAN Summit since 2002.

 

3 Over the past two decades, India has demonstrated a firm commitment towards building strong and lasting linkages with Southeast Asia and ASEAN. In fact, a key pillar of India's "Look East" policy has been its engagement with ASEAN, which today is wide-ranging and multifaceted, covering not only the economic realm but also in the politico-security and socio-cultural areas.

 

4 India was ASEAN's 6th largest trading partner in 2010; while ASEAN was India's 4th largest trading partner in 2009. Last year, the Trade-in-Goods Agreement under the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into force. Negotiations are underway on the Services and Investment Agreements. We have also commenced talks on an Air Transport Agreement. On the security front, there is close cooperation between ASEAN and India, notably at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus). The Joint Declaration for Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism; and India's signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia - or TAC - in 2003, are affirmations of a shared commitment and interest in ensuring the peace and stability of the region.

 

5 Development cooperation between ASEAN and India has also strengthened over the years, covering a wide range of sectors, including science and technology, human resources development, transport and infrastructure, as well as health. Through the support of the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund, I am confident that there is good scope for development cooperation to be further enhanced.

 

Excellencies

 

6 India's presence in ASEAN is helping to create a more open, prosperous, peaceful and stable region. With India emerging as a global power, this partnership has become even more indispensable for ASEAN.

 

7 India is dynamic and transforming. Its GDP has increased at at an average rate of 7.5% during the first decade of this new century, enabling a doubling of per capita income about every decade. This was clearly evident in the sprawling state of Bihar which I visited just this weekend before arriving in Delhi. I was in Patna, Nalanda and Bodhgaya. Bihar's dynamic turnaround in recent years is well-known and has won praise boh nationally and internationally. It has seen astounding changes; these positive changes have happened as a result of the sound policies at the Union level that have been implemented on the ground with persistence, patience and political will by a state government committed to development and good governance.

 

8 India's growth story continues to unfold. Of course, there remains many challenges ahead but I am confident that continuing economic reform will enable India to achieve and sustain this growth. According to current estimates, India is positioned to become among the top three economies internationally by the year 2050, if not earlier. India's success will contribute to global growth, promote market-based economic policies, and help secure the global commons and maintain the strategic balance amongst the world's major powers.

 

9 In this regard, I am heartened that during his official visit to Singapore in November 2011, His Excellency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to continue working closely with ASEAN and East Asia as a whole. There is much that we can do together. As a longstanding friend and partner, Singapore looks forward to India playing a greater leadership role in our region. We believe that India has much to contribute to the stability and progress of Asia.

 

10 India is already an integral part of the East Asia regional architecture, including the ASEAN-centred frameworks. India can leverage on its presence and participation to play a bigger role to strengthen the existing economic and security networks. This would include the ARF and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus, which I mentioned earlier. In addition, ASEAN and India should aim to conclude the Investment and Services chapters of the ASEAN-India FTA by the agreed timeframe of March 2012. This FTA is a key building block in the regional economic architecture and would bring mutual benefit to our peoples and businesses. While ASEAN-India trade has seen steady growth, there is still plenty of room to grow. A full-fledged ASEAN-India FTA will give impetus to the two-way trade between ASEAN and India.

 

11 We should also continue to work closely on ASEAN Connectivity, which Prime Minister Singh highlighted as a "strategic objective" for India at the 9th ASEAN-India Summit in November 2011. The Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) is a major initiative towards building an integrated ASEAN Community. As one of only two countries with a land border with ASEAN, India has been an active supporter of ASEAN Connectivity. India is currently working on an India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway and its extension to Laos and Cambodia, as well as the development of a new highway to Vietnam. India is also contributing significantly to information technology and ICT connectivity such as through the establishment of an e-network for tele-medicine and tele-education in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. But let's not stop there. Imagine the possibilities - connectivity will bring together India's 1.2 billion people with ASEAN's 600 million people. A more connected region will contribute to the economic growth and stability of India and ASEAN; it will also enhance the flow of people, ideas, culture and a sense of affinity that has connected us for thousands of years.

 

Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

 

12 As we gear up to celebrate twenty years of the ASEAN-India partnership, let us also consider how we can continue to work together to fulfil its potential and to ensure that ASEAN-India relations remain one of the cornerstones in the evolving regional architecture. Together, we can create a vibrant and dynamic region that will elevate, prosper and improve the lives and livelihoods of our peoples.

 

Thank you.
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