By Kushal Jeena
NEW DELHI, Dec. 18, Kyodo
The leaders of India and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will resolve to further strengthen military ties and boost maritime cooperation at a two day-summit that opens here Thursday, according to a draft declaration obtained by Kyodo News on Tuesday.
The draft of the "ASEAN-India Vision Statement 2020," which is set to be adopted at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, commits the two sides "to fostering greater security cooperation to further address traditional and nontraditional security challenges," including transnational crimes and international terrorism.
It says leaders of the 11 countries are committed to strengthening cooperation to ensure maritime security, freedom of navigation, and safety of sea lanes for unfettered movement of trade in accordance with international law.
The draft says maritime cooperation will be promoted through the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum, which held its inaugural meeting in Manila last October, to address common challenges such as sea piracy, maritime security, maritime connectivity, freedom of navigation and fisheries.
"We will make use of existing bilateral and multilateral frameworks and mechanisms and ASEAN-led regional process such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus to promote defense and military exchanges and cooperation and the ASEAN Regional Forum to foster constructive dialog and consultation on political-security issues," it says.
"We declare that the ASEAN-India partnership stands to a strategic partnership," it says.
On trade, the document says the summit will strive for reaching greater trade volume through free trade agreement.
"We are therefore committed to achieving a target of US$100 billion for ASEAN-India trade by 2015," it says.
To that end, India's commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma said Tuesday while opening an India-ASEAN business fair that putting into operation a free trade agreement in services and investment would provide greater impetus to trade and investment between the two sides.
Sharma said negotiations on the FTA in services and investment are expected to be concluded before the summit.
In the draft statement, the leaders "share the vision of a peaceful, prosperous and resurgent Asia, which contributes to and promotes global peace and security."
Apart from marking 20 years of ASEAN-India dialogue relations, 2012 also marks the 10th anniversary of summit-level partnership between India and the grouping.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
Source: http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2012/12/200177.html
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