New Delhi, Mar 3(ANI): External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday said that India is committed to deepening its all-round engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Krishna said this in his inaugural address at the Delhi Dialogue III based on the theme 'Beyond the First Twenty Years of India-ASEAN Engagement', which began in New Delhi today.
"We stand at the threshold of twenty years of the launch of the formal Dialogue partnership between India and ASEAN, which started in 1992. We look forward to holding the Commemorative Summit in 2012 in India," Krishna said.
"It is a happy coincidence, or is it a coincidence, that this two decade period has been transformational for India, as also for its engagement with South East Asia."
"It has been a gratifying engagement for us - an engagement which has drawn strength from India's rapidly developing bilateral ties with individual ASEAN countries, and from our millennia-old bonds with the countries and civilizations of the region," he added.
Krishna further said that the engagement has drawn strength from India's rapidly developing bilateral ties with individual ASEAN countries, and from the millennia-old bonds with the countries and civilizations of the region.
"Historical ties of India with Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Cambodia, Laos and with what was known as the East Indies - Sumatra, Java, Bali and Borneo - are well known. These ties are rooted in geographical contiguity and commonality of a multitude of other factors," the External Affairs Minister said.
"It is both a contemporary need and a responsibility to nurture these natural relationships. We are committed to deepening our all-round engagement with ASEAN," he added.
The External Affairs Ministry is hosting the dialogue in partnership with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
It is being supported by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, SAEA Group Research, Singapore and the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia, (ERIA), Jakarta.
Political leaders, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics and business leaders are participating in the two-day dialogue.
The event aims to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas to build a secure and prosperous region.
The dialogue focuses on the following key aspects: Looking towards 2012 and beyond, connectivity between India and ASEAN and Enhancing India-ASEAN Cooperation in Critical Areas of Non-traditional Security Issues.
The Delhi Dialogues I and II were held in New Delhi in January 2009 and January 2010 respectively. (ANI)
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