Shri Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East), co-chaired the 26th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (AISOM), with H.E. Mr. Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, in New Delhi today. Singapore is the Country Coordinator of India for ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. The meeting was attended by Senior Officials’ and representatives of all ASEAN Member States and Timor Leste which holds Observer Status in ASEAN, and Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN.
2. At the 26th AISOM, the gamut of ASEAN-India relations across the three pillars of engagement, namely, political-security, economic and socio-cultural, as reflected in the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025), was reviewed. The Senior Officials’ also discussed implementation of Prime Ministers’ 12 Point Proposal announced at the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta in 2023 to further strengthen the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Proposed joint activities to mark the decade of India’s Act East Policy were highlighted. Views on regional and global issues of mutual interest were also exchanged.
3. Preparations for the ASEAN-India Summit to be held later this year in Vientiane, Lao PDR were also discussed. The ASEAN side appreciated India's continued support to ASEAN and to the ASEAN-led architecture in the region.
4. The delegation of Senior Officials’ from ASEAN, Timor-Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat jointly called on Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, on 03 May 2024. While underlining that ASEAN is a crucial pillar of India's Act East Policy and its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific, EAM encouraged the delegation to focus on subjects of critical importance and specific outcomes, including early completion of review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and regional issues of mutual interest.
New Delhi
May 03, 2024