PH Joins ASEAN in Commemorating 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Relations in New Delhi
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Antonio A. Morales joins the foreign ministers/representatives of other ASEAN countries and India, as well as the ASEAN Secretary-General at the stage for a photo opportunity prior to the commencement of the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 16 June 2022. (New Delhi PE photo)
PASAY CITY, 21 June 2022 – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Antonio A. Morales represents Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. at the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting (SAIFMM), which was held on 16 June 2022 to commemorate the 30th year of ASEAN-India dialogue relations, and to exchange views on pertinent regional and international developments.
Undersecretary Morales joined ASEAN and India in welcoming the celebration of three decades of ASEAN-India cooperation, while encouraging India to leverage its strengths in order to further support ASEAN’s initiatives and share best practices on areas, such as strengthening ASEAN’s pharmaceutical industry, among others.
On the economic front, Undersecretary Morales joined ASEAN in anticipating the official review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), which will make it more effective, user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses both in the ASEAN region and in India.
Undersecretary Morales’ intervention also conveyed Philippine positions on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and developments in the South China Sea.
He expressed appreciation for India’s early and consistent support for the 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration, including its issuance of a statement of position made in 2016. “We share India’s views that there should be utmost respect for UNCLOS and recognize India’s affirmation of the significance of finding a resolution to disputes via tools provided by UNCLOS in accordance with international law,” Undersecretary Morales remarked. India’s Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar also expressed support for the Arbitral Award in his intervention during the meeting.
A joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was organized prior to the SAIFMM, which enabled ASEAN Foreign Ministers and their representatives to have exchanges on ASEAN-India cooperation.
A day before the momentous SAIFMM, the annual ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (AISOM) was convened. DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel R. Espiritu participated on behalf of the Philippine SOM Leader in the said meeting.
Assistant Secretary Espiritu appreciated India’s support for ASEAN Centrality through its vision for the Indo-Pacific, and said that cooperation can be pursued in line with the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on the AOIP for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity in the Region. The Joint Statement was adopted by the Leaders at the 18th ASEAN-India Summit last year.
As India has been a long-standing partner of ASEAN, Assistant Secretary Espiritu joined ASEAN’s calls for India to increase support and enhance practical cooperation for ASEAN initiatives that have become increasingly relevant in the post-pandemic world, such as digital economy and MSMEs, digital reskilling and upskilling, science, technology, and innovation, and biodiversity, climate change and disaster management.
He also emphasized in his intervention the Philippines’ serious concern over destabilizing activities in the South China Sea, as well as support for the work of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar.
This is the first in-person meeting of ASEAN and India’s Foreign Ministers and Senior Officials in years, after engaging with each other online. The meetings helped facilitate ASEAN and India’s work in charting the way forward for ASEAN-India strategic partnership. END
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Antonio A. Morales shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister, H.E. Narendra Modi, during the joint call of ASEAN Foreign Ministers and their representatives to the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 16 June. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of External Affairs of India)
ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (AISOM) Leaders shake hands the “ASEAN way” for the first time in a while. DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs and ASEAN-Philippines Director-General Daniel R. Espiritu (fifth from the right) heads the Philippine Delegation to their 24th meeting. (New Delhi PE photo)
DFA Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs and ASEAN-Philippines Director-General Daniel R. Espiritu shakes hands with H.E. Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) and SOM Leader for India. (New Delhi PE photo)