NEW DELHI: Maritime cooperation, with an eye on the security situation in
South China Sea (SCS), and terrorism dominated India's unprecedented
Asean outreach, including its decision to invite leaders of all 10 Asean nations for the R-Day parade, to celebrate 25 years of India-Asean partnership.
While PM
Narendra Modi underlined freedom of navigation as a key "focus area'' of India's maritime cooperation with Asean countries, the southeast Asian grouping responded by jointly calling for a comprehensive approach for ``countering cross border movement of terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters'' in the Delhi Declaration of Asean-India Commemorative Summit.
This is rare mention of ``cross-border'' terrorism, which India uses to pin Pakistan down for its support to India-specific terror groups like LeT and JeM, in an India-Asean document. Indian officials said there was complete unanimity between India and Asean on the issue of terrorism.
At least 4 Asian nations - Vietnam, Malaysia,
Brunei and the Philippines - are party to territorial disputes with China in SCS. Countries like
Vietnam and Singapore have repeatedly urged India to increase its security profile in southeast Asia.
"India shares Asean's vision for peace and prosperity through a rules based order for the oceans and sea," said Modi at the plenary session of the Summit.
"Respect for international law, notably UNCLOS, is critical for this. We remain committed to work with Asean to enhance our practical cooperation in our shared maritime domain. During the retreat (at Rashtrapati Bhavan), we had an opportunity to discuss maritime cooperation as a key focus area for growth and development for the Indo-Pacific region. Indeed maritime cooperation is an integral part of our discourse throughout out our commemorative activities," he added.
India and Asean are looking to set up a mechanism for greater cooperation in maritime sector. On the issue of terrorism, both sides reiterated agreed to promote 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’’.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation to stop terrorism financing efforts, and prevent recruitment of members of terrorist groups, support efforts in targeting terrorist groups and sanctuaries, and take "further urgent measures to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, while stressing that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever."
India and Asean also reaffirmed the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, and other "lawful uses of the seas and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce and to promote peaceful resolutions of disputes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)."
The Declaration also said that the two sides supported the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and looked forward to an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).
While Modi mentioned UNCLOS in his statement, it appeared twice in the Declaration too. China refused to comply earlier with an arbitral award of the UNCLOS tribunal which nuulified its 9-dash line claim on close to 90 per cent of SCS waters.
On the issue of connectivity, they reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing physical and digital connectivity and availing of the US$1 billion line of credit announced by India to promote physical infrastructure and digital connectivity. They also encouraged the early completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and extend this Trilateral Highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.