Singapore, Vietnam FMs arrive in Delhi for ASEAN

Foreign Ministers of Singapore and Vietnam, Vivian Balakrishnan and Bui Thanh Son respectively, arrived in Delhi on Wednesday for the special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting (SAIFMM).

"Greetings to @VivianBala, FM of Singapore & Country Coordinator of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations, as he arrives in Delhi. He will co-chair the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting with EAM @DrSJaishankar & participate in Delhi Dialogue XII," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

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"Warm welcome to FM @FMBuiThanhSon of Vietnam as he arrives in Delhi for the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting & Delhi Dialogue XII. India & Vietnam celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations as India & ASEAN celebrate 30 years of Dialogue Relations," he said in another tweet.

India will host the SAIFMM on June 16 and 17, marking the 30th anniversary of India-ASEAN dialogue relations and the 10th anniversary of the country's strategic partnership with ASEAN.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Singapore FM Vivian Balakrishnan, who is India's Country Coordinator, will co-chair the SAIFMM.

Foreign Ministers of other ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretary-General will participate in the SAIFMM. This year has been designated as ASEAN-India Friendship Year.

ASEAN-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of sectoral partnership in 1992 which graduated to full dialogue partnership in December 1995, Summit level Partnership in 2002, and Strategic partnership in 2012.

A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release said that ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership today stands on a strong foundation and ASEAN is central to India's Act East Policy and its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific.

"This multi-faceted partnership encompasses many sectoral dialogue mechanisms and working groups that meet regularly at various levels and include annual Summit, Ministerial and Senior Officials' meetings. The ongoing India-ASEAN collaboration is guided by the Plan of Action 2021-2025 which was adopted in 2020," the release said.

SAIFMM will be accompanied by the 12th edition of Delhi Dialogue, a premier Track 1.5 Dialogue in the ASEAN-India calendar, which will be hosted by India on 16-17 June 2022.

The theme of DD-XII is 'Building Bridges in the Indo-Pacific'. The ministerial session of DD-XII will be attended by EAM and the ASEAN Ministers.