Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led the Indian Delegation at the 28th Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting 2021. The meeting was held virtually under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam.
i.During the meeting, the ARF member countries exchanged views on international and regional issues.
- Rajkumar Ranjan Singh presented India’s perspective on the Indo-Pacific, threat of terrorism, importance of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) in the maritime doman and cyber security.
ii.The Ministers adopted 2 Joint Statements on i) Promoting the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda & ii) Preventing and Combating Cybercrime.
India’s Activity in ARF
India engages actively in ARF activities and initiatives on Maritime Security; Counter Terrorism; Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); Disaster Relief.
- During 2021-22, India will co-chair the ARF Inter Sessional Meeting on Maritime Security and conduct a workshop on International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code).
ASEAN
It is an economic union founded in 1967. It promotes intergovernmental cooperation between Southeast Asian nations.
- It has 10 members – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- It is India’s 4th Largest Trading Partner. India’s export to ASEAN stands at 11.28%.
EAM Jaishankar participates in 11th EAS Foreign Ministers Meeting
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar participated in the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting, which was chaired by Brunei Darussalam.
- The EAS Foreign Ministers Meeting was Chaired by Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof, Minister of Foreign Affairs II, Brunei Darussalam.
- During the meeting, S. Jaishankar proposed to commemorate 2022 as the ASEAN-India friendship year on occasion of the 30th Anniversary (India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992).
East Asian Summit (EAS)
It was established in 2005, EAS is a premier leader-led forum for discussion on important strategic issues in Indo-Pacific region.
- Total number of Members – 18 (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States).
- India is a founding member of EAS. The 18 members of the EAS together represent 54% of the world population and account for 58% of the global GDP.
Recent Related News:
On September 12, 2020, MoS for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan participated in the online meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) under the Chairmanship of Vietnam.
About Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
Chair of 2021 – Brunei Darussalam (Theme of its ASEAN Chairmanship is “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”).
Secretary-General – H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi (2018 -2022)
Headquarters – Jakarta, Indonesia
