Engaging with Asean

In this situation of strategic complexity, as two strategic partners with civilizational links, India and Vietnam are well positioned to contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability in the region by defending global rules of governance in the maritime domain. China‘s advance and expansionist design with spirit of assertiveness into the global common ought to be checked. Therefore, global rules need to be respected and followed so that the atmosphere for conducting diplomacy is created. India and Vietnam have discussed these issues on a continuous basis and this process should continue

- RAJARAM PANDA

The Asean-India foreign ministers’ meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 13 July 2023. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its partners, including Singapore’s Vivian Balakrishnan, Brunei’s Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Indonesia’s Retno Marsudi, South Korea’s Park Jin, and New Zealand’s Nanaia Mahuta.

The discussions were productive and the leaders reviewed the progress in cooperation in areas like fin-tech, food security and maritime domains.

Co-sharing a session with his Singapore counterpart, Dr. Jaishankar discussed the progress in the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership. He also exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar and the way to restore democracy since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021.

While in Jakarta, Dr. Jaishankar’s meetings with his counterparts were under the Asean framework and format ~ AseanIndia, East Asia Summit and Asean Regional Forum.

He then travelled to Bangkok to participate in the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Mechanism.

This was significant too because MGC is one of the oldest mechanisms of the lower Mekong region guided by India’s Act East Policy. The MGC is an initiative by India, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to facilitate closer connections between the six member countries which share the Ganga River and Mekong River Basins.

Dr. Jaishankar also attended the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on 17 July. BIMSTEC is an economic and technical initiative which brings together the countries of the Bay of Bengal for multifaceted cooperation. The leaders discussed ways to further deepen the BIMSTEC agenda and strengthen the organisation.