Krishna to visit Cambodia for ASEAN-India ministerial meeting

New Delhi, July 8 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would be participating in the 10th ASEAN-India ministerial meeting, the second East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers meeting and the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from July 11 to 12.

The ASEAN-India ministerial meeting is an annual meeting that takes stock of the ASEAN-India partnership and deliberates on its future direction. India became a Sectoral Partner of ASEAN in 1992 and a Dialogue Partner in 1996. The relationship was upgraded in 2002 to the level of an Annual Summit Level Partnership. Nine ASEAN-India Summits have been held since then.

This year, the 10th ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting acquires greater significance, as India would be hosting a Special ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in December 20-21, 2012 to mark twenty years of the Relationship and 10 years of the Summit level Partnership.

A series of events are also planned in the run-up to the Commemorative Summit.

India has been part of the East Asia process since 2005, as a founding member. It has been contributing to the evolution of the EAS as a premier Leaders-led forum in the region.

India has consistently supported ASEAN as the driving force in the further evolution of the East Asia Summit. EAS Foreign Ministers would discuss cooperation in the five core areas of education, energy, finance, disaster management and pandemics as well as connectivity and further economic partnership between the member countries.

Regional and international issues of concern and the preparation for the 7th East Asia Summit, which is to be held in Phnom Penh in November this year, would also be discussed.

Krishna will also participate in the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Set up in 1993, the ARF has 27 members.

India attaches importance to the ARF as a forum for constructive dialogue on political and security cooperation in the region with the ASEAN countries playing a central role in the process. (ANI)