Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the ASEAN Summit on Thursday, 28 October, and announced that India will celebrate the year 2022, as 'ASEAN-India Friendship Year', since India will complete 30 years of its partnership, while also completing 75 years of its independence.
He added, “India's Indo-Pacific Ocean initiative and ASEAN's outlook for the Indo-Pacific is the base model for our shared vision and cooperation."
Commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic, PM Modi said, “Due to COVID-19, all of us had to face a lot of challenges, this challenging time was also a test of India-ASEAN friendship. Our mutual cooperation in COVID era will keep strengthening our relations in future and form base for goodwill between our people."
Further stressing on India's relationship with ASEAN, Modi said, “History is a witness that India and ASEAN have had lively relations for thousands of years. It's reflected in our shared values, traditions, languages, scriptures, architecture, culture, food. That is why the unity and centrality of ASEAN has always been a priority for India.”
ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was first established in August, 1967.
Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, the East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Russia.
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