Context:
- The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit was held in New Delhi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of sectoral dialogue between two sides under the theme of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”.
- It issued joint statement titled Delhi Declaration after the plenary session focusing on counter-terrorism, identity security, military cooperation, and bilateral financial support.
- India and 10 ASEAN countries for first time mentioned cross-border movement of terrorists and made commitment to counter the challenge through close cooperation as part of the declaration.
Key Highlights of Delhi Declaration
- Strengthening relations: Called for strengthening and deepening ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit, across the whole spectrum of political-security, economic, socio-cultural and development cooperation.
- Terrorism: Deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, violent extremism and radicalisation through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under existing ASEAN-led mechanism.
- Cyber-security: Strengthen cooperation on cyber-security capacity building and policy coordination, including through supporting the implementation of ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy.
- Transnational crimes: It called for strengthening cooperation to combat other transnational crimes, including people smuggling, trafficking in persons, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime, and piracy and armed robbery against ships.
- Political and Security Cooperation: Reaffirm importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region. It calls for other lawful uses of seas and to promote peaceful resolutions of disputes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- Economic Ties: Both sides reaffirmed to work to further strengthen ASEAN-India economic relations, including through full utilisation and effective implementation of ASEAN-India Free Trade Area. They also called for swift conclusion to comprehensive and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2018 to further trade ties. They also look forward to establish ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Centre.
- Physical and digital connectivity: Reaffirmed their commitment to enhance physical and digital connectivity in line with Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and ASEAN ICT Masterplan (AIM) 2020 by availing $1-billion line of credit (LoC) announced by India. They will also work towards encouraging early completion of India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway Project and extend it to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.
- Conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in Indian and Pacific Oceans and address threats to these resources including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, loss of coastal ecosystems and the adverse impacts of pollution, , marine debris and ocean acidification.
- Maritime cooperation: It emphasised need to promote maritime transport cooperation and encourage potential private sector participation in development of seaports, maritime logistics network and maritime services in order to create greater efficient linkages and continue discussions on these priority areas.
- MSMEs: It calls for promotion of stable and sustainable growth for MSMEs, including through technology transfer, as well as enhancing capacity building, technical assistance, access to innovation and opportunities to integrate into global and regional value chains were agreed upon.
- Peaceful exploitation of outer space: India and ASEAN countries will continue to collaborate in peaceful exploitation of outer space, through implementation of the ASEAN-India Space Cooperation Programme. It will include launching of satellites, sustainable exploitation of ground, sea, atmospheric and digital resources for equitable development of region.