India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the 18th ASEAN-India Summit where he touched upon a range of key issues, including COVID-19 pandemic, South China Sea issue, and stressed how ASEAN members play an important role in India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific.

Addressing the leaders via video conferencing, Modi said, “In 2022, our partnership would complete 30 years. India will also complete 75 years of its Independence. I am delighted that we will celebrate this important milestone as ASEAN-India Friendship Year.”

Modi stressed that the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India.

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Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit. <a href="https://t.co/OaQazNtC2A">https://t.co/OaQazNtC2A</a>
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“History is a witness that India and ASEAN have had lively relations for thousands of years. It is reflected in our shared values, traditions, languages, scriptures, architecture, culture, food. That is why the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-participates-in-16th-east-asia-summit-reaffirms-indias-focus-on-a-free-open-inclusive-indo-pacific-424538">PM Modi participates in 16th East Asia Summit, reaffirms India's focus on a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific</a>

Commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, “Due to COVID19, all of us had to face a lot of challenges. This challenging time was also a test of the India-ASEAN friendship. Our mutual cooperation in COVID-19 era will keep strengthening our relations in the future and form a base for goodwill between our people.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/vietnam-invites-india-for-asean-virtual-summit-in-november-336723">Vietnam invites India for ASEAN virtual summit in November</a>

Later in a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Riva Ganguly Das said PM Modi has invited the ASEAN members to join the Indo Pacific Initiative (IPOI).

“The adoption of the joint statement on ASEAN outlook on Indo-Pacific and India's Indo-Pacific oceans initiative is one of the very major highlights of this summit. We have built upon the convergences that exist between the AOIP as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and our own Indo-Pacific initiative IPOI,” she said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-asean-increase-people-to-people-engagement-with-1st-ever-hackathon-362978">India, ASEAN increase people to people engagement with 1st ever Hackathon</a>

“We have the leaders adopted the joint statement and this joint statement charts the way forward for practical implementation of the convergence in a vision of Indo-Pacific. This is the objective to of course to ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the region.”

When she was asked whether issues like the South China Sea and Afghanistan were discussed, Das said, “The East Asia summit exchanged views on the regional and international seas. Highlighting the Afghanistan situation, PM (Modi) talked about the terrorism issue and called for a zero-tolerance to terrorism.”

She said a series of activities will be conducted to commemorate the 30 years of the ASEAN-India partnership.

“The leaders of India and ASEAN have declared the year 2022 as ASEAN-India Friendship Year as it marks 30 years of ASEAN-India partnership. A series of activities will be conducted around the year to commemorate this,” Das said.

(With inputs from agencies)

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the 18th ASEAN-India Summit where he touched upon a range of key issues, including COVID-19 pandemic, South China Sea issue, and stressed how ASEAN members play an important role in India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the 18th ASEAN-India Summit where he touched upon a range of key issues, including COVID-19 pandemic, South China Sea issue, and stressed how ASEAN members play an important role in India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific. Addressing the leaders via video conferencing, Modi said, “In 2022, our partnership would complete 30 years. India will also complete 75 years of its Independence. I am delighted that we will celebrate this important milestone as ASEAN-India Friendship Year.” Modi stressed that the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India. Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit. https://t.co/OaQazNtC2A — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2021 × “History is a witness that India and ASEAN have had lively relations for thousands of years. It is reflected in our shared values, traditions, languages, scriptures, architecture, culture, food. That is why the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India,” he said. Also read | PM Modi participates in 16th East Asia Summit, reaffirms India's focus on a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific Commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, “Due to COVID19, all of us had to face a lot of challenges. This challenging time was also a test of the India-ASEAN friendship. Our mutual cooperation in COVID-19 era will keep strengthening our relations in the future and form a base for goodwill between our people.” Also read | Vietnam invites India for ASEAN virtual summit in November Later in a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Riva Ganguly Das said PM Modi has invited the ASEAN members to join the Indo Pacific Initiative (IPOI). “The adoption of the joint statement on ASEAN outlook on Indo-Pacific and India's Indo-Pacific oceans initiative is one of the very major highlights of this summit. We have built upon the convergences that exist between the AOIP as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and our own Indo-Pacific initiative IPOI,” she said. Also read | India, ASEAN increase people to people engagement with 1st ever Hackathon “We have the leaders adopted the joint statement and this joint statement charts the way forward for practical implementation of the convergence in a vision of Indo-Pacific. This is the objective to of course to ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the region.” When she was asked whether issues like the South China Sea and Afghanistan were discussed, Das said, “The East Asia summit exchanged views on the regional and international seas. Highlighting the Afghanistan situation, PM (Modi) talked about the terrorism issue and called for a zero-tolerance to terrorism.” She said a series of activities will be conducted to commemorate the 30 years of the ASEAN-India partnership. “The leaders of India and ASEAN have declared the year 2022 as ASEAN-India Friendship Year as it marks 30 years of ASEAN-India partnership. A series of activities will be conducted around the year to commemorate this,” Das said. (With inputs from agencies)

South China Sea, Indo-Pacific find mention during Indian PM Modi’s meet with ASEAN leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said on Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it’s a US priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar.

The top US diplomat will attend virtual meetings for five consecutive days, including annual meetings of the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other nations and separate meetings of the Lower Mekong subregion countries Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/singapore-says-asean-aims-to-speed-up-plan-to-end-myanmar-crisis-396602">Singapore says ASEAN aims to speed up plan to end Myanmar crisis</a>

"I think it's a clear demonstration of our commitment to the region," said the official, who briefed Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

In recent years top US officials have not always attended&nbsp;ASEAN&nbsp;meetings and have sometimes sent more junior officials to the region's summits.

The virtual meetings come after the Biden administration in its early days was seen as paying little attention to the region of more than 600 million people, which is often overshadowed by neighbouring economic giant China, which the administration sees as its major foreign policy challenge.

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But that has been partly addressed by recent visits to the region. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in May and June, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Vietnam and the Philippines this week, and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Singapore and Vietnam.

"That steady flow of high-level engagement is going to pay dividends. It's noticed," the official said, adding that countries in the region "notice when we don't show up and that's when you start hearing some complaining maybe about not taking them seriously or taking them for granted."

The official said that donations of COVID-19 vaccines to the region had been a "game changer in terms of how our image is perceived."

On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a> to Vietnam and it has sent doses to other Southeast Asian countries too, but an agreement it reached in March with Japan and Australia and India to provide a billion doses to the region stalled due to an Indian export ban

By mid-next week the United States will have donated 23 million doses to countries in the region, which is experiencing a surge of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> with vaccination rates well below countries in the West, the official said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-army-ruler-pledges-elections-asean-cooperation-in-speech-six-months-after-coup-402105">Myanmar army ruler pledges elections, ASEAN cooperation in speech six months after coup</a>

But none of those doses have gone to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where military generals staged a coup on Feb. 1 and detained elected leaders including Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking sanctions from Washington and other Western capitals.

The meetings next week will see Blinken in the same virtual meetings as representatives of Myanmar’s military government, but the official said rather than bestowing legitimacy on those officials, this was an opportunity to get messages to the military government.

"We're not prepared to walk away from&nbsp;ASEAN&nbsp;because of the bad behavior of a group of generals in Burma," the official said, adding that US officials were also engaging with the National Unity Government that opposes the military government there.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said on Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it’s a US priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said on Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it’s a US priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar. The top US diplomat will attend virtual meetings for five consecutive days, including annual meetings of the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other nations and separate meetings of the Lower Mekong subregion countries Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Also read | Singapore says ASEAN aims to speed up plan to end Myanmar crisis "I think it's a clear demonstration of our commitment to the region," said the official, who briefed Reuters on the condition of anonymity. In recent years top US officials have not always attended ASEAN meetings and have sometimes sent more junior officials to the region's summits. The virtual meetings come after the Biden administration in its early days was seen as paying little attention to the region of more than 600 million people, which is often overshadowed by neighbouring economic giant China, which the administration sees as its major foreign policy challenge. But that has been partly addressed by recent visits to the region. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in May and June, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Vietnam and the Philippines this week, and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Singapore and Vietnam. "That steady flow of high-level engagement is going to pay dividends. It's noticed," the official said, adding that countries in the region "notice when we don't show up and that's when you start hearing some complaining maybe about not taking them seriously or taking them for granted." The official said that donations of COVID-19 vaccines to the region had been a "game changer in terms of how our image is perceived." On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam and it has sent doses to other Southeast Asian countries too, but an agreement it reached in March with Japan and Australia and India to provide a billion doses to the region stalled due to an Indian export ban By mid-next week the United States will have donated 23 million doses to countries in the region, which is experiencing a surge of the coronavirus with vaccination rates well below countries in the West, the official said. Also read | Myanmar army ruler pledges elections, ASEAN cooperation in speech six months after coup But none of those doses have gone to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where military generals staged a coup on Feb. 1 and detained elected leaders including Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking sanctions from Washington and other Western capitals. The meetings next week will see Blinken in the same virtual meetings as representatives of Myanmar’s military government, but the official said rather than bestowing legitimacy on those officials, this was an opportunity to get messages to the military government. "We're not prepared to walk away from ASEAN because of the bad behavior of a group of generals in Burma," the official said, adding that US officials were also engaging with the National Unity Government that opposes the military government there.

US top diplomat Blinken to court Southeast Asia in virtual meetings next week

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South China Sea, Indo-Pacific find mention during Indian PM Modi’s meet with ASEAN leaders

US top diplomat Blinken to court Southeast Asia in virtual meetings next week