MANILA: Seventh Roundtable Meeting of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks

MANILA: The 7th roundtable of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) was organized in hybrid mode by MEA in collaboration with ASEAN-India Centre at RIS, New Delhi and Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) on 12-13 May 2022.

Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Govt. of India and Dr. Kung Phoak, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kingdom of Cambodia jointly inaugurated the 7th AINTT. ​Senior Officials Meeting Leaders / their representatives and Ambassadors from ASEAN Member States also participated in the Session. Secretary Phoak in his address underlined the need for strengthening ASEAN-India collaboration in areas such as health, vaccines, climate change and supply chain resilience. MoS in his address highlighted the importance of cooperation in health security, digital partnerships and green and sustainable recovery as important agenda items for ASEAN-India cooperation for post pandemic economic recovery.

Speakers from all ASEAN member states and India shared their views at the two-day event that centred on the theme of ‘Post-Covid-19 Recovery: Regional Cooperation Agenda for ASEAN-India Partnership’. The speakers deliberated on sustainable recovery, cooperation in health, SDGs, MSMEs, connectivity and supply chain resilience among many other issues. In context of the shift of global economic landscape, the scholars, academics and Think Tanks offered new ideas, for strengthening the connect between India and ASEAN and identify collaborative opportunities.

The ASEAN-India Round Table comprising think tanks, policy makers, scholars, media and business representatives was established at the 7th ASEAN-India Summit in Thailand in 2009 to provide policy inputs to Governments on future direction of cooperation. The forum serves as a high quality research platform and provides long-term perspectives to further strengthen ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership. The last six roundtables of the AINTT were held at New Delhi in 2012, Vientiane in 2013, Hanoi in 2014, Kuala Lumpur in 2015, Jakarta in 2018 and Bangkok in 2020 respectively.