India for greater connectivity in southeast Asia
March 3rd, 2011 - 9:39 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, March 3 (IANS) Pushing for greater connectivity in southeast Asia, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Thursday said more linkages in the region will lead to “a dramatic flowering” of India’s relations with the 10-nation ASEAN.
“I believe that India and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) can do so by concentrating even greater efforts on physical connectivity. This aspect fits very well with our own domestic priority of upgrading infrastructure,” Krishna said, while inaugurating the third edition of the Delhi Dialogue at Hotel Le Meridien here.
“If the two can proceed in tandem, it is possible that in the space of next five to seven years we will see a dramatic flowering of India-ASEAN relations,” he said.
“Connectivity will enhance the potential of merchandise trade and investment agreements that have been already put into effect or are on the anvil,” the minister stressed.
“Greater physical connectivity will reinforce intellectual inter-linkages that we have or will foster,” he said while alluding to the joint initiative for the revival of the ancient Nalanda University.
Underlining an inclusive vision of the region, Krishna said the Indian government has sought to embed in our developmental experience the principle of inclusivity.
“These principles need to form part of international efforts as that in the end is the strongest factor for the maintenance of peace and security,” he said ahead of the first ever India-ASEAN Summit New Delhi will host in 2012.
The two-day Delhi Dialogue, titled “Beyond the First Twenty Years of India-ASEAN Engagement” has been hosted by India’s external affairs ministry in partnership with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The dialogue has been supported by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, SAEA Group Research, Singapore and the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Jakarta.
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Tags: asean relations, asean summit, association of southeast asian nations, chambers of commerce, chambers of commerce and industry, developmental experience, domestic priority, economic research institute, external affairs minister, external affairs ministry, first twenty years, indian chambers of commerce, institute of southeast asian studies, investment agreements, iseas singapore, nalanda university, physical connectivity, saea, southeast asian nations, southeast asian studies