'INDIA AND ASEAN CAN WORK ON UNTAPPED AREAS'

Maritime security features prominently in the areas of collaboration and cooperation between the two sides, said ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim

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Terming India as an important player in the Indo-Pacific region, the visiting Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr Kao Kim Hourn, said maritime security features prominently in the areas of collaboration and cooperation between the two sides.

The ASEAN Secretary General said that India and ASEAN have a common interest in the region's vast maritime area and both can work on "untapped areas of cooperation".

Maritime cooperation was one of the key focus areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) that was adopted in June 2019.

During the top ASEAN official›s five-day visit to India, which concludes today, he met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed the depth and breadth of the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which was adopted in November 2022. The discussions included the progress of the implementation of the Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity.