PHNOM PENH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to maintain Asia-Pacific peace during the 18th ASEAN-India Summit held on Thursday. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Hun Sen. One of the important agenda was the approval of the joint declaration on the cooperation ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

It was also acknowledged during the meeting that despite the severity of Covid-19 cases in India and in the ASEAN countries, the cooperation between the two parties remains good and progressing. The ASEAN leaders have expressed gratitude to India for its Covid-19 support. India is one of the countries manufacturing vaccine against Covid-19, specifically the AstraZeneca vaccine. Apart from the vaccine, India has also contributed $1 million to the ASEAN fund for the Covid-19 crisis.

All leaders have recognised the year 2022 as the year for ASEAN-India friendship, as it marks the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership. The ASEAN-India heads of state have recognised the importance of strengthening cooperation on ASEAN connectivity, especially the efforts to further promote the ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan 2025.