India's ties with ASEAN rooted in history, geography and culture, says Jaishankar

By Anish Kumar | First Published Oct 7, 2021, 3:45 PM IST

In his inaugural address at India-ASEAN Summit, Jaishankar highlighted New Delhi's measures in manufacturing, skills, labour, education, and agriculture to make India a favourite destination for economic activities.

Seeking global cooperation among businesses, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India aspires to become a more effective engine of growth and a part of a resilient supply chain. In his inaugural address at India-ASEAN Summit, Jaishankar highlighted New Delhi's measures in manufacturing, skills, labour, education, and agriculture to make India a favourite destination for economic activities.

Stating that India's ties with ASEAN are rooted in history, geography and culture, he said, "It is important that we — India and ASEAN and our relationship, we recognise that a different world awaits us. It puts a greater premium on trust and transparency, resilience and reliability as also on choice and redundancy."

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He also shared the four things that have come into focus amidst the Covid pandemic. "From the prolonged crisis of last two years, four areas have come into sharp focus for international business cooperation - resilient and reliable supply chain, health security, digital for development and green and sustainable recovery. They should constitute core plan for us."

Sharing the details of India's achievement in vaccine protections, the minister said, "India has succeeded in developing the world first DNA vaccine for COVID vaccine and another mRNA vaccine is in the final stages and also the nasal vaccine our global collaborations have enabled us to emerge as a major vaccine production centre for world. We have also seen innovative methods of collaboration, including an initiative agreed upon by the Quad countries. This could have significant benefits for nations of the Indo-Pacific countries."

He also appreciated the effort carried out by the Indian pharmaceuticals companies in ramping up the production line for medicines that were in great demand.

Talking about the government's ambitious Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, Jaishankar added that "India's campaign for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India resonates with our quest to become a democratic and trustworthy partner for global industrial resilience. At the same time, we need to take full advantage of building back better by ensuring greener economy recovery."

Last month, India had assured the ASEAN member states of its support in their recovery efforts in the post-pandemic period.

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