JAKARTA, 29 March 2023 – ASEAN and India reiterated their commitment to further intensify their longstanding relations at the 23rd ASEAN-India Joint Cooperation Committee (AIJCC) Meeting held today at the ASEAN Secretariat. The move is in pursuit of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at the 19th ASEAN-India Summit last year.
The meeting discussed the developments in ASEAN and in India and reviewed extensive cooperation between both sides. They commended the steady progress in the implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (POA) (2021-2025) and looked forward to the finalisation of the Annex to the ASEAN-India POA (2021-2025) to ensure that their partnership becomes substantive and mutually beneficial in the coming years.
ASEAN commended India’s continued support for ASEAN Centrality in maintaining peace and stability in the region and in enhancing cooperation with various ASEAN-led mechanisms. Both sides underscored the need to exert efforts to materialise the implementation of the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the India-Pacific for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity in the Region.
ASEAN encouraged India to further boost trade and investment with ASEAN and hoped that the ongoing review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) will make the AITIGA more user-friendly, simple, and trade-facilitative for businesses. ASEAN also expressed appreciation for India’s key role in the undertaking of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project which would be extended into Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. The extension would enhance ASEAN-India transport links and the two-way trade flows between both sides.
The meeting deliberated several initiatives to enhance cooperation in various areas of mutual interest including maritime cooperation, transnational crimes, cybersecurity, science, technology and innovation, transport, digital and physical connectivity, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), digital economy, digital transformation, fintech, tourism, energy, smart cities, digital start-ups, artificial intelligence, cross-border retail payments, food security, agriculture, environment and climate change, sustainable development, disaster management and public health.
Furthermore, both sides also deliberated ways and means to step-up efforts to enhance people-to-people contacts through exchange programmes involving youth, students, media and artists, scholarships programmes, and capacity building and training courses.
Permanent Representative of Singapore to ASEAN Kok Li Peng and Ambassador of India to ASEAN Jayant N Khobragade co-chaired meeting. The Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN and their respective delegations were in attendance along with a representative from the ASEAN Secretariat. Representatives from Timor-Leste also attended as observers.
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