India ASEAN ties to focus on freedom of navigation 

India ASEAN ties to focus on freedom of navigation 

Context

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit

Issues addressed in Joint declaration (Delhi Declaration)

• A joint mechanism to ensure safety and freedom of navigation in the maritime domain
  • Significance: The statement on the maritime mechanism is significant as it is the first time that India has taken up forming of a special maritime mechanism with all the ASEAN heads of states at a single summit
• It indicated at common concern regarding the South China Sea and reaffirmed the “importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, and other lawful uses of the seas and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce
• Counter terrorism:  supported a common approach to counter terrorism and sought a “comprehensive approach to combat terrorism through close cooperation by disrupting and countering terrorists, terrorist groups and networks, including by countering cross border movement of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters and misuse of Internet including social media by terror entities
  • Out of all the countries of ASEAN region, Philippines had the most serious threat from the Islamic State in the last few years and the bilateral discussion focused on this aspect

Why Maritime Diplomacy is integral?

The maritime domain has been in the centre of India’s Act East diplomacy which aims to firm up India’s position in the ASEAN and Asia Pacific region