The ASEAN-India Centre, inaugurated June 21, is to act like a platform
for India and the bloc to take cooperation to higher levels, say Indian
officials.

“Basically, it is meant to be a resource centre for us, as well as a
hub for bringing together experts from both sides, a networking of think
tanks,” Ashok K. Kantha, secretary in charge of East Asia in the
Ministry of External Affairs, said. He added that the strategic
partnership between ASEAN and India is an objective the two sides
need to flesh out, whether economic and commercial connectivity,
maritime security or socio-cultural exchanges.

The centre has been opened by Research and Information System for
Developing Countries (RIS), a think tank of the external affairs
ministry.

Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, who
heads RIS, said that many projects are on the anvil between India
and ASEAN. The ASEAN-India Centre is to be a kind of platform for
different areas of their relationship. The centre will help to ensure
that the connectivity projects generate economic development and
empowerment for both India and ASEAN.

The
combined population of India and the Southeast Asian bloc is 1.8
billion, which is one-fourth of the global population, and the combined
GDP of the region is around 3 trillion USD. The two sides are also to
work on connectivity projects, to boost trade and people-to-people
connect. A 1,400 km Trilateral Highway , called Friendship Road
that will link Thailand and Myanmar with India , is slated to
be completed by 2016.-VNA