Jakarta (VNA) – Partnership and cooperation between ASEAN and India have beenincreasingly consolidated, especially in trade, after three decades ofestablishment.
In 2022 alone, ASEANbecame India's largest trade partner.
Speaking at a banquet in Jakarta celebratingIndia-ASEAN Friendship Year on March 14, Indian Ambassador to ASEAN Jayant N. Khobragade said two-way trade between Indiaand ASEAN hit 133 billion USD last year, higher than that between India and other partners such as the European Union, the US and China.
He added that India-ASEAN partnership has been promoted throughvarious activities over the past years such as the youth, music, start-up andinnovation festivals and media exchanges.
Accordingto the diplomat, such platforms were established to enable ASEAN youth communitiesto increase interaction, understand and deepen the spirit of ASEAN, as well as ASEAN-Indiafriendship.
ASEANSecretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, for his part, said in recent years, ASEAN andIndia have successfully organised a number of useful cooperation activities invarious fields such as the ASEAN-India Startup Festival 2020.
He believed that these efforts are evidenceof the three decades of effective, mutually beneficial, multi-dimensional cooperation supportedby strong trade as well as social, cultural, and political relations betweenthe two sides./.
ASEAN enhances defence partnerships with US, India
Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang attended the ASEAN - US and ASEAN - India defence ministers’ informal meetings in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on November 22.