Why in News?

• Recently, while commemorating 30 years of India-ASEAN Dialogue the two sides have declared 2022 as the year of INDIA-ASEAN friendship.

Key Highlights

• The Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• India-ASEAN ties elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP).
• CSP will focus on specific areas: maritime security, Indo-Pacific, Cyber Security etc.
• India announced additional outlay of $5 million for ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund.
• Expedited review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITGA).

About ASEAN

• Regional grouping that promotes economic, political and security cooperation.
• Established in August 1967 through Bangkok Declaration (ASEAN Declaration)
• 10 ASEAN countries are home to 650 million people and GDP of $ 2.8 trillion.

Areas of Cooperation

• India has been formally engaging with ASEAN since 1992, first as a “Sectoral Dialogue Partner” and as a strategic partner since 2012.
• Economic Cooperation:
  • ASEAN is India’s 4th largest trading partner and bilateral trade is worth $110 billion.
  • Signed AITGA, ASEAN-India Agreement for Trade in Services.
• Defence Cooperation:
  • ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), through forums like ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) etc.
  • First Ever ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise will be held in 2023.
• Connectivity through India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multimodal Project etc.
• Socio-cultural cooperation through Exchange of Parliamentarians, Training of ASEAN diplomats etc.