JAKARTA, 15 November 2022 – A total of 27 journalists from ASEAN Member States (AMS) and India participated in two media visits conducted in 2022 under the ASEAN-India Media Exchange Programme 2018-2024. The visits were organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India with the support of the ASEAN-India Fund.
The first visit was held between 14-20 June in New Delhi and Hyderabad where 19 AMS journalists had the opportunity to cover the open session of the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting held in the occasion of the 30 years Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations.
They also participated in the 12th Delhi Dialogue and its Ministerial Session and had a courtesy call on Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) of the MEA of India. In addition, the journalists visited the Secretariat of the Doctoral Fellowships for ASEAN to learn about the fellowship offered to 1000 students from ASEAN countries to pursue a PhD programme in India.
In Hyderabad, the journalists visited Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian multi-national IT services and consulting company; Bharat Biotech, a multinational biotechnology company that developed India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine: COVAXIN; and T-Hub, a public-private-partnership innovation intermediary and business incubator in which they learned about the latest developments, existing cooperation and opportunities extended by the above companies to the ASEAN Member States.
The reciprocal visit by eight journalists from India to AMS (Singapore and Cambodia) was held from 8 – 13 November. In Singapore, the journalists visited the Singapore Press Holdings, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore to learn about the Singapore’s media landscape and challenges to public diplomacy. They had a courtesy call on P. Kumaran, High Commissioner of India where they were briefed about ASEAN-India relations.
In Cambodia, the journalists visited the Archaeological Survey of India Site of Ta Prohm in Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap, and attended the ASEAN Cultural Festival 2022 held in Phnom Penh. They also had a courtesy call on Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information of Cambodia to discuss way forward for ASEAN-India media cooperation and provided media coverage on the 40th and 41th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
The visits were reported and published by the ASEAN and Indian journalists on several channels including television, radio, wire service, and social media to promote awareness on ASEAN-India cultural and historical ties as the two sides elevate their relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
