India-Asean unveil steps to bolster maritime ties

India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Thursday unveiled a slew of initiatives to bolster maritime cooperation, including measures to counter piracy and illegal fishing, ensure sustainable use of marine resources and develop marine technology

- 

The measures were outlined in a joint statement on maritime cooperation issued after the Asean-India Summit in Jakarta that was co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two sides also issued a joint statement on strengthening food security and nutrition in response to crises, which said they would exchange information on national policies for rice and other priority crops.

The joint statement on maritime cooperation includes implementation of Asean-India partnership for peace, progress and shared prosperity for 2021-25 and the Asean-India joint statement on cooperation on Asean outlook on the IndoPacific, and strengthening cooperation on maritime safety and security through confidence-building measures and coordinating on emergency response and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.