PM calls for early conclusion of India-ASEAN Services and Investment Agreement

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that, given the global economic downturn, there was an even greater urgency to cooperation between India and the ASEAN and sought the support of the leaders of the grouping for the early conclusion of a commercially meaningful Services and Investment Agreement.

 

"This would create a positive atmosphere for the implementation of the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as envisaged in our Framework Agreement of 2003," Dr Singh told the 9th India-ASEAN Summit at Bali in Indonesia this morning.

 

"We should endorse the decision taken at the last round of negotiations in October 2011 to conclude the Agreement by March 2012," he said.

 

Dr Singh said India was extremely pleased with the practice of annual Summits with ASEAN. "Our partnership with ASEAN is one of the cornerstones of our foreign policy, and the foundation of our ‘Look East’ Policy, he pointed out.

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"In the relatively short span of our full dialogue partnership with ASEAN we have put in place a rich agenda of cooperation. This has benefited both of us and is contributing to the processes of integration and transformation of the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

 

Detailing the concrete progress made since the last Summit in Hanoi, Dr Singh said that, on the trade and economic front, the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement for Trade in Goods had come into effect in all ASEAN Member States and India following its ratification by Cambodia on 1st August, 2011. 

 

He said India’s trade with ASEAN had increased by 30% in 2010-2011 and had crossed the $ 50 billion mark. With such a rate of growth, the two sides should be able to achieve their trade target of $ 70 billion by 2012, he felt.

 

The inaugural India-ASEAN Business Fair was held in New Delhi in March 2011 along with meetings of the India-ASEAN Business Summit and Business Council. Investments from both sides are steadily growing, he said.

 

The 9th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations were held in August 2011 in Manado. The Ministers have agreed to a structured private sector engagement in the five areas of pharmaceuticals, innovation and skills training, information technology, manufacturing and infrastructure, he said.

 

The first ASEAN-India Meeting on Agriculture was held in October 2011, and the first meeting of the India-ASEAN Green Fund was held in Cambodia in October 2011, he said.

 

Dr Singh recalled that, at the Hanoi Summit, the leaders had called for developing a long-term vision for the strategic partnership between ASEAN and India. 

 

He said they had taken the first step in this direction by constituting the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group. The Group has been tasked to draft a ASEAN-India Vision 2020 document and has already held two meetings in August 2011 and October 2011.

 

"The successful implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2004-2010 listing specific items of cooperation was followed by an 82-point Plan of Action for the period 2010-2015. We adopted this ambitious Plan in the Hanoi Summit," he said.

 

He said that India had forwarded a number of cooperative projects as part of this Plan as well as part of the $ 50 million ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund to the ASEAN Secretariat.

 

"The expansion of our cooperation in the fields of science and technology, space and information technology has generated considerable enthusiasm on both sides. So too has our cooperation in the area of training, capacity building and human resource development in various sectors.

 

"Several projects are under implementation under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund. Based on the feedback from the ASEAN, our Department of Space has revised its proposal for a five year project for establishing a tracking and reception station and data processing facility for the ASEAN countries and training of ASEAN personnel. We will convene a meeting of Heads of Space Agencies of India and ASEAN in early 2012," he said.

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The Prime Minister said India had already offered to assist in the Master Plan on ASEAN ICT Connectivity and in particular on the establishment of an e-network in the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) for tele-medicine and tele-education. 

 

"Our experience with initiatives to promote people-to-people exchanges has been excellent. I invite ASEAN countries to participate actively in the Nalanda University project on which work has begun.

 

"The visa on arrival facility for six ASEAN countries is now in place. We should ensure that the Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening tourism cooperation between ASEAN and India is signed at the earliest, preferably at the meeting of the ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers planned to be held in Indonesia in early 2012," he said.

 

Dr Singh said India had hosted a group of 100 students from ASEAN countries in September 2011. Based on the positive feedback, he said this number would be increased to 250 students per year.

 

Similarly, he said India wished to institutionalize the ASEAN-India Media Exchange Programme for a period of three years. Under this India will be ready to host two groups of 20 ASEAN journalists each year and ASEAN countries could in turn consider hosting Indian journalists to ASEAN Member States.

 

"Greater physical connectivity between India and ASEAN remains our strategic objective. There are several proposals under consideration with regard to land and sea connectivity. These include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway, its extension to Laos and Cambodia and the development of a new highway also linking Vietnam.

 

"We also have a study on a Mekong-India Economic Corridor conducted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia which proposes the linking of corridors in the peninsular, and possibly the north east regions of India with the East Asian region," he said.

 

Dr Singh suggested that all these different proposals should be studied in an integrated manner by their officials so that they could take considered decisions to optimize their resources and efforts.

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He welcomed the growing cooperation with ASEAN on security issues, and India's association with ASEAN led forums. These have focused on maritime security, counter-terrorism, training, exercises and disaster management, he noted.

 

Dr Singh extended a personal invitation to all of you to attend the special ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in India.

 

"This will be a historic occasion for us. I wish to propose the dates of December 20th and 21st, 2012 for the Summit to be held in New Delhi.

 

"India looks forward to working closely with Cambodia, as the incoming chair of ASEAN, and with all other Member States to prepare for this Summit. We would like the Summit to be the culmination of a year-long celebration of the India-ASEAN partnership," he said.

 

He said that the events India proposed to hold in the run-up to the Summit include the holding of the fourth round of the Delhi Dialogue in February 2012 and meetings of the ASEAN-India Ministers for New and Renewable Energy and Agriculture as well as an India-ASEAN Business Fair. India has also proposed a year-long calendar of cultural activities.

 

Among other things, India is organizing an ASEAN-India Car Rally to mark the Summit. The Rally will serve to highlight the strong bonds between ASEAN and India, and spread the message of solidarity, enterprise and creativity which are the hallmarks of our region.

 

India also proposes to send a Sail Training Ship “Sudarshini” on an expedition to ASEAN countries along the route of the monsoon trade winds.

 

"I believe that our cooperation is on the right path. Given the global economic downturn, there is today an even greater urgency to our cooperation," he added.

 

NNN

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