External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said India is focusing on reorienting its partnership with ASEAN member states in the 21st century context, to make it more pragmatic, action driven and result oriented through its 'Act-East policy'.
"ASEAN lies at the core of India's Act East Policy and at the centre of our dream of an Asian century. We cherish the deep and abiding historical and civilizational links that anchor our relationship. At the same time, through our 'Act East Policy', we are focusing on reorienting our partnership in the 21stcentury context to make it more pragmatic, action driven and result oriented," said Swaraj while inaugurating the independent Indian Mission to ASEAN.
"We are committed to intensifying our cooperation in security, trade, investment, connectivity, capacity-building and strengthening people-to-people linkages," she added.
She also said that India would play a more proactive role in the political-security sphere.
"In the political-security sphere, I must convey our strong resolve to match the expectations of our friends in the region for India to play a more proactive role," she said.
"We would also be happy to work with ASEAN Member States and other participating countries of the East Asia Summit process to bolster cooperation in collectively addressing the various traditional and non-traditional security challenges in order to ensure peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the greater Asia-Pacific region," she added.
Furthermore, she said that India has ratified the ASEAN-India trade-in-services and investment agreements which were signed last year.
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"As regards economic cooperation, I am happy to inform that we have just ratified the ASEAN-India trade-in-services and investment agreements, signed last year. Some ASEAN member states have already ratified the agreements," said Swaraj.
"I will urge the rest of the member states to also complete their respective domestic internal processes at the earliest, paving the way for the entry into force of both Agreements later this year. This will enable us to harness the huge potential for mutual investment as well as realise accelerated trade growth," she said.
"We are committed to engaging ourselves in constructive discussions on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which involves ASEAN and its six dialogue partners, to ensure its early fruition with a balanced outcome in goods and services," she added.
She also said that Indian officials are currently engaged in drafting the next five year action plan for the period 2016-21 for furthering ASEAN-India Cooperation.
"We would like to see more active Indian engagement in strengthening ASEAN and ASEAN-related institutions. At the seventh edition of Delhi Dialogue last month, I announced five annual scholarships under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme for ASEAN Secretariat officials. In addition, we have been providing three slots to the secretariat staff in the annual special training programme for ASEAN diplomats conducted by our Foreign Service Institute," Swaraj said.
"Our officials are currently engaged in drafting the next five year action plan for the period 2016-21 for furthering ASEAN-India Cooperation. We would work with our ASEAN colleagues to make it aspirational, yet pragmatic, that will help us realise optimally the potential for sectoral collaboration through a wide array of projects in a spirit of joint partnership and ownership that contributes to mutual learning and benefit," she said.
"I am confident that in the coming days, our Mission to ASEAN will bring more focus, objectivity, synergy and speed to our engagement with ASEAN and the ASEAN-centric processes and I wish them all success in their endeavours," she added.
Swaraj arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to attend the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference.
Swaraj, who is on a five-day tour to Indonesia, is accompanied by senior diplomats from the foreign affairs ministry for the conference where important discussions are likely to take place in Jakarta and Bandung.