Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi proposes economic corridor between ASEAN & Europe through India
- IBEF
- September 8, 2023
At the 20th India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi suggested a multi-modal connectivity and economic corridor connecting South-East Asia to Europe through India and West Asia, as well as closer digital linkages.
The summit's first iteration since India and ASEAN relations were upgraded to the level of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 also saw both parties approve two joint statements on food security and maritime cooperation. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Modi addressed the leaders of the 10 nations in Jakarta, Indonesia, and emphasised stronger cooperation in strategic engagements and solving modern challenges. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of completing the review of the ASEAN-India free trade agreement in a timely way.
On the technological front, the PM offered to share India's Digital Public Infrastructure, India Stack (a term for a collection of open APIs and digital public goods introduced by the government, including Aadhaar, Unified Payment Interface (UPI), Co-Win, DigiLocker, UMANG, and Government e-Marketplace (GeM)).
He announced the ASEAN-India Digital Future Fund, which would focus on cooperation in digital transformation and financial connectivity, as well as the continuation of assistance to the Economic and Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) to operate as a knowledge partner in order to strengthen our involvement.
Mr. Modi urged the bloc to collaborate with India to collectively highlight concerns confronting the Global South in multilateral fora, engage in expanded cooperation on maritime safety and security and domain awareness, and combat terrorism, terror financing, and cyber-disinformation.
He also promised to share India's experience in providing people with affordable and high-quality medications via Jan-Aushadhi Kendras.
Both parties examined the status of the Annex to the Action Plan to Implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress, and Shared Prosperity (2021-2025).
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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