Hanoi, Oct. 30: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, announced that the text for the Asean-India MoU for co-operation in tourism had been finalised even as he pushed for Asean nations to implement the India-Asean trade in goods agreement at an early date.
Speaking at the 8th India-Asean summit here, Dr Singh said, “the conclusion of a services and investment agreement will be an important step in our goal of comprehensive economic co-operation.”
However sources have said that this was a huge disappointment as officials had expected the agreement in services and investment to have been signed between India and other South East Asian nations during the current summit.
“We had expected that it would go through this time,” an official said.
India is, however, opening its doors to South East Asia by offering visas on arrival to all nationals from avowedly pro-Chinese Laos and Cambodia, as well as the Philippines and Vietnam, who have a marked pro-American leaning.