India supports Indonesia's chairship for East Asia summit

 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Friday, met Indonesian President Joko Widodo and affirmed his support to the latter for the chairship of the East Asia summit.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, "Honored to meet President @jokowi. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. India supports Indonesia’s chairship of the East Asia summit."

At the 13th EAS Foreign Ministers Meeting, Jaishankar conveyed that EAS must be committed to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"India firmly supports the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and its implementation through EAS. There is great synergy between the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) proposed by India and AOIP," the EAM tweeted.

"Quad will always complement ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms. AOIP contributes to the vision of the Quad. India affirms ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific and advocates the strengthening of the EAS," he added.

At the opening session of the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference in Jakarta on Thursday, the EAM said, "ASEAN is a crucial pillar of India's Act East policy and its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific. A strong and unified ASEAN plays an important role in the emerging dynamic of the Indo-Pacific. India firmly supports ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific."

The External Affairs Minister is on a six-day visit to Indonesia and Thailand since July 12 and his overseas engagements in these two countries will culminate on July 18.

"As comprehensive strategic partners, we look forward to working with ASEAN to further expand our partnership to include newer areas while strengthening existing cooperations. I refer here, especially to cyber, financial and maritime security domains," Jaishankar said.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN events in Jakarta, Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart on Thursday and discussed issues regarding the regional and international agendas, including interaction within the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS.

Taking to Twitter, the EAM posted, "Met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia in Jakarta today. Discussed bilateral economic issues, as also matters pertaining to the Ukraine conflict."

The Russian Foreign Ministry also tweeted about the meeting between Jaishankar and Lavrov on Thursday.

The EAM met British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and discussed the concerns related to the security of Indian diplomats.

This comes after a group of pro-Khalistan protesters vandalized the Indian High Commission in London, taking down the Indian flag and replacing it with a Khalistani flag on March 19. (ANI)