New Delhi: The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) wants greater economic and political engagement with India and Indo-ASEAN relations do not need a third party to give it a boost, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.
India is set to bolster ties with South-east Asian countries with the Indo-ASEAN Commemorative Summit planned on January 25 in which all 10 ASEAN heads of government or state will participate.
The summit will be held as part of an ‘Exclusive Retreat’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the afternoon of January 25 during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold deliberations with the 10 ASEAN leaders on the entire gamut of ties.
The summit — to mark 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties — is being seen by observers as a clear message to checkmate Chinese influence in the region.
In another clear but veiled message to China, India said it would be happy to participate in more oil exploration projects with Vietnam (in the South China Sea). ASEAN has 10 member-nations — Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.
A lunch banquet will be hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind in honour of the 10 ASEAN leaders.
Following that, the Exclusive Retreat Summit will be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. There will also be a “gala dinner” the same day hosted by PM Modi in honour of the 10 leaders. The next day, the 10 leaders will be the Guests of Honour at the Republic Day parade in the Capital. They will also attend the Presidential ‘At-home’ function in Rashtrapati Bhavan on the evening of January 26.
