India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) on Monday began their year-long engagement with a Delhi Dialogue, where leaders emphasised on increased connectivity, not just through physical movement of goods and people, but in the virtual world too through e-connectivity for better communication.
The Delhi Dialogue, fourth in the series since 2009 and an instrument for India’s two-decade-old Look East policy, comes at a time when India and the 10-nation grouping are commemorating 20 years of dialogue and 10th anniversary of their summit-level partnership. “India and Asean need to enhance connectivity through the realisation of routes such as the Mekong-India Economic Corridor, which would have a beneficial effect especially for the eastern part of our country,” external affairs minister S.M. Krishna said inaugurating the event here focusing on “India and Asean: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability”. “India has contributed to Asean integration and supports the efforts towards the creation of an Asean Community. In this digital age, the way forward points to virtual networks and e-connectivity in addition to land, rail and air connectivity. Asean and India have the potential and the capacities to partner each other in such endeavours,” he said, setting the tone for the two-day deliberations. His sentiments were shared by Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Hor Namhong and Thailand foreign affairs minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, apart from deputy foreign ministers from Singapore, Malaysia, Burma and Vietnam, in the presence of Asean deputy secretary-general Bagas Hapsoro.
The event is hosted by Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) from the Indian ministry of external affairs, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and the SAEA Research Group from Singapore, as well as the Economic Research Institute of Asean and East Asian in Jakarta.
In the current global economic situation, Mr Krishna said, it is in the common interest of India and Asean to work together to enhance the prospects for prosperity in the region.
“We need to secure our region as an area of growth, a region which is home to more than 1.7 billion people, around one-fourth of the global population.”
Calling this the “Asian Century”, Mr Krishna said it had been marked by a shift of the economic centre of gravity to this part of the world.