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Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who delivered the opening speech of the "Delhi Dialogue" in the presence of 10 heads of delegation from ASEAN countries, said a common order must be respected in the region. of all, regardless of size and strength.
His remarks come amid the growing assertion of China in the region.
"Our vision of the Indo-Pacific implies not only the physical interconnection, but also the creation of bonds of trust, based on mutual respect, sovereignty and territorial integrity, consultation, transparency, sustainability and sustainability, "Swaraj said. .
She said that it was imperative to avoid protectionism and avoid the return to great power rivalries.
"The Indo-Pacific must be a free, open and inclusive region: we must follow a common, rule-based order that takes into account the equality of all, regardless of its size and Swaraj said at the 10th edition of the dialogue on the theme "Strengthen ASEAN-India maritime cooperation".
India has been working with ASEAN in the development of a regional security architecture centered on the centrality of ASEAN, Swaraj said.
She affirmed that the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law and the search for concerted solutions to new and non-traditional problems were important.
His remarks take on significance as ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei have disputes with China over the South China Sea.
Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in her speech that her country is a small state that defends the rights and sovereignty of all states, regardless of size, and resolves disputes without use force or the threat of the use of force.
Singapore has always strongly supported freedom of navigation as an existential right, including the freedom of overflight, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
"The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is essential to ensure the use of the sea for free navigation and legal trade without hindrance." Singapore would also strongly oppose any attempt to threaten or coerce. this fundamental right of freedom of navigation and overflight, "he said.
In her remarks, Ms. Swaraj said that India was ready to strengthen cooperation in the areas of humanitarian assistance and relief operations, to fight against piracy, to fight against terrorism and to fight against proliferation.
"We will also work towards the ecologically sustainable development of ocean resources in a collaborative framework.
"We believe that ASEAN is at the center of ASEAN and that it is at the heart of it," the minister said.
Affirming that the commitment of India and ASEAN was deeply rooted, Mr. Swaraj said that India placed ASEAN at the center of his dream of An Asian century.
"While Asia regains its global position for the twenty-first century and that it will be called" Century of Asia ", it goes without saying that India and ASEAN will play a vital role in this task.
"We look forward to working with ASEAN member states to turn this vision into reality," Swaraj said.
She said that India recognizes that the most important ingredient that can qualitatively change its economic engagement with ASEAN is a major boost to infrastructure and connectivity .
India was making substantial progress on all fronts, bilaterally and regionally, Swaraj said.
"We hope to turn these connectivity corridors into economic cooperation corridors," she said.
In terms of connectivity, India has made considerable progress in implementing the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral road and the Kaladan multimodal transport project, she noted.
"Our recent agreement with Indonesia to develop the port infrastructure at Sabang is one step closer in this direction," she said.
"We are working on specific proposals for the establishment of a regional high-capacity fiber optic network, complemented by rural high-speed networks and digital villages in remote areas." other connectivity projects with ASEAN, "said Mr. Swaraj.
"We are also engaged in the negotiations of the Global Regional Economic Partnership (RCEP) involving ASEAN and its six FTA partners." We believe that the RCEP represents a decisive opportunity to further engage our eastern neighbors economically. "
India hopes that the negotiations can be finalized as soon as possible.
Heads of delegations of ASEAN countries, including Balakrishnan, Vice Foreign Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Quoc Dzung, and Hoang Ahn Tuan, Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs of the Secretariat of the ASEAN, also spoke.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.
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