India, Asean to work for energy security

Seeking to give a significant thrust to its "look east" policy, India today offered its co-operation in combating terrorism, strengthening maritime security in the piracy-infested Malacca Straits and fighting diseases even as the two sides agreed to step up co-operation in bringing about energy security in the region.

India and the 10 Asean (Association of South East Asean Nations) members also agreed to work together in the area of disaster management and establishing an early warning system for tsunami.

The decisions were taken at the fourth India-Asean summit where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India would adopt a "pragmatic and flexible" approach over the exclusion of products in the free-trade agreements (FTAs) with Asean countries.

India also pledged $5 million for initiating several schemes in Asean member states and announced a $1 million contribution to the Asean Development Fund.

Briefing reporters at the conclusion of the summit, Rajiv Sikri, secretary in the external affairs ministry, said both Asean and India agreed to take substantive measures to combat terrorism and offered to cooperate with littoral states in the region to ensure maritime security in the Malacca Straits.

Asean sought India's assistance in dealing with the menace of terrorism, fighting diseases like avian flu besides pressing for greater economic co-operation including a FTA.

India also asked Asean members to invest their huge surplus in the infrastructure development, a major deficit hindering economic growth.

On the energy front, the two sides decided to step up co-operation in bringing about energy security in the region considering most of the countries in the region were not endowed with fossil fuel. The two sides said they would cooperate in non-conventional energy sources like solar, tidal and wind power.

To enhance connectivity, Sikri said road connectivity had already been established between India and Maynmar, which was being extended to other countries in the Southeast Asian region, specifically Thailand.

On rail connectivity, Sikri said feasibility study for linking India and Myanmar had been completed and a study would now undertaken to extend it to Vietnam.

To deal with avian flu, India, which has developed expertise in bio-technology and pharmaceuticals, will cooperate in supplying anti-viral drugs in the Southeast Asian region and facilitate in the stockpiling of medicine as well.

During the bilateral meeting the Prime Minister had with his Japanese counterpart Junichro Koizumi, Tokyo agreed to continue its joint efforts with India, Brazil and Germany for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, Sikri said.

In Singh's meeting with the South Korean leader Roh Moo Hyun, Seoul evinced interest in stepping up co-operation in oil and gas apart from the steel sector in which a South Korean firm Posco had signed a memorandum of understanding for setting up a $12 billion steel plant in Orissa.

To a question if the Asean plus three countries of Japan, South Korea and China had agreed to work towards the east Asian community building, Sikri said India believed in building an open and inclusive east Asian community.