Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said that India’s ‘Look East’ policy is now blossoming and showing results on the ground, and added that he would urge leaders of the ASEAN nations to expand the cooperation.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, on the eve of Singh’s visit to Singapore where he will attend the 6th India-ASEAN Summit and the 3rd East Asia Summit, Singh said, “I will discuss with the ASEAN leaders new measures to expand the horizons of our cooperation to include not just greater economic integration, but also people-to-people contacts, science and technology, health, transport, human resource development, and information and communication technology.”
Stating that India’s trade with the ASEAN countries has surpassed the expected target and has reached 30 billion dollars, Singh said, “Ever since India became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, our engagement with the ASEAN has grown manifold. We are actively implementing the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity.”
“I will inform ASEAN leaders about the several initiatives that India has taken since the last Summit in Cebu in different areas of our cooperation,” he added.
He also said that during the third East Asia Summit, energy, education, finance, avian influenza and national disaster mitigation are the issues that would be taken up for discussion.
“India has taken and is ready to take many initiatives in these areas. The Summit is likely to adopt a Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment. The Summit is also expected to discuss regional and international issues, and future directions for cooperation,” he said.
Terming India’s role as ‘crucial’ in creation of a cooperative framework in East Asia, Singh said that the project for the revival of the Nalanda University as an international centre of excellence has received the support of East Asian countries. (ANI)