Minister said that India maintains its support for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific and there is a need for India and ASEAN to collaborate for regional maritime security

The centrality of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific region is the cornerstone of India's Act East Policy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. 

During the India-ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Cambodia, the minister said India has historic and strong ties with the ASEAN countries. During the meeting, Singh proposed two initiatives to broaden and deepen India-ASEAN defence relations.

“One of the initiatives was the ‘India-ASEAN Initiative for Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations,’ which includes the conduct of tailor-made courses for women peacekeepers from ASEAN Member States at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India, as well as the conduct of a ‘Table Top Exercise’ in India for women officers from ASEAN incorporating facets of UN peacekeeping challenges,” the ministry of defence said.

The minister also announced the ‘India-ASEAN Initiative on Marine Plastic Pollution’ that entails directing youth energy toward addressing the critical issue of marine pollution.

Singh said that the NCC was instrumental in cleaning Indian beaches and raising awareness about plastic pollution in the coastal community. Coordination between the NCC and the equivalent youth organisations in ASEAN countries will aid in the region's collective effort in this direction.

The minister also said that the Indian Coast Guard's establishment of an India-ASEAN Marine Pollution Response Centre in Chennai will help address and supplement regional efforts to deal with marine pollution incidents.

“India maintains its support for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific. There is a need for India and ASEAN to collaborate for regional maritime security,” he added.

The meeting was held to mark the 30th anniversary of India-ASEAN relations in 2022, which has also been designated as the ‘ASEAN-India Friendship Year.’ The India-ASEAN relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the ASEAN-India Summit in Cambodia on 12 November 2022.

The meeting was co-chaired by Rajnath Singh and General Tea Banh, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence.