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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday returned home after a four-day visit during which he attended the East Asia and Asean summits in Brunei and paid a bilateral visit to Indonesia.The visits paved the way for expansion of trade ties with the countries of the region even as India announced the setting up of a separate mission for Asean with a full time ambassador.
During his visit, the prime minister expanded India’s ‘Look East’ policy to beyond economic ties and to co-operation in areas like security, anti-terrorism and disaster management. The visit assumes significance for expansion of trade ties as well with various countries of Asia Pacific region. Singh also held bilateral meetings with Prime Ministers of Asian superpowers like Japan and Australia on the sidelines of Asean and East Asia Summits in Brunei.
He also announced a separate mission for Asean, a 10-member block of South East Asian nations, with a full-time ambassador. Besides, he also said a Free Trade Agreement on services and investments would be signed with Asean by end of this year to help meet India-Asean trade to $100 billion by 2015.
Singh was in Brunei Darussalam from October 9-10 for attending Asean Summit as also the East Asia Sumit, a forum for co-operation among Asean nations and its partner countries that include China, India, Australia, Japan and the US.
After Brunei, Singh went to Jakarta on October 10 for his first official bilateral visit to Indonesia, although he has been here thrice for multi-lateral and regional events.
Six pacts were signed between India and Indonesia including in areas like health, anti corruption, narcotics, disaster management and academics.
The two leaders agreed to expand their strategic partnership by holding annual summits and an eminent persons group will be set up to expand the relationship. New areas of co-operation have been identified such as space, nuclear energy, food security, counter-terrorism, transborder threats from jehadi forces.
