Database on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations

Department of Advanced Social and International Studies, University of Tokyo

 

 

ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity

 

 

WE, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia (Cambodia), the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia), the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar), the Republic of the Philippines (the Philippines), the Republic of Singapore (Singapore), the Kingdom of Thailand (Thailand) and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (Viet Nam), Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (collectively, ASEAN or ASEAN Member Countries, or individually, ASEAN Member Country), and the Republic of India (India) gathered in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 30th November 2004 for the 3rd ASEAN-India Summit;

 

 

ADHERING to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence and other universally recognised principles of international law;

 

 

REAFFIRMING our faith in, and respect for, each others independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, mutual respect and mutual benefit;

 

 

BOUND TOGETHER by our shared rich and valuable heritage of civilisation, culture, and peaceful economic and social interaction and linkages extending over two millennia as well as by the pluralistic, multi-religious and culturally diverse nature of our respective societies;

 

 

BUILDING on the deep and widespread people-to-people linkages and friendship between the Member Countries of ASEAN and India;

 

 

NOTING with deep satisfaction that the close cooperative and multifaceted partnership, which our countries have fostered, encompassing the political, security, economic, scientific and technological, human resource development, social, cultural and other areas of mutual interest that provides a solid foundation for taking the ASEAN-India partnership to greater heights and new areas;

 

 

 

DETERMINED to optimally utilise our talented and youthful human and rich natural resources, and core competencies in many state-of-the-art technologies and knowledge-based industries;

 

CONVINCED that ASEAN-India cooperation serves the essential interests of their peoples and is essential for promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in Asia and the world;

 

 

ASPIRING to play a more active role and to meet the political, economic, social and other challenges facing our region in the coming decades, and in helping to shape the world of the 21st century;

 

 

RECALLING the Joint Statement issued after the 1st ASEAN-India Summit Meeting in Phnom Penh in November 2002 and the agreements and understandings reached during the 2nd ASEAN-India Summit Meeting in Bali in October 2003; and

 

 

 

ATTACHING great significance to the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and India signed in Bali for realising the full potential of ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area (RTIA) and economic cooperation.

 

 

HEREBY commit ourselves to:

 

 

·         Foster friendship, good neighbourliness, peaceful co-existence and prosperity in the region;

 

·         Promote a long term co-operative partnership based on equality, shared ownership and mutual respect which will enable us to impart synergies to our respective strengths and complementarities to achieve our respective long-term national and regional development goals;

 

·         Cooperate in a coordinated manner to accelerate and mutually reinforce sustainable growth and development of our economies towards shared prosperity, poverty alleviation and reduction of social disparities, to enable our people to enjoy unhindered access to opportunities for development;

 

·         Cooperate in strengthening the UN system, including support for early reforms of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions to make them more democratic and responsive to the priorities of its member states particularly, the developing countries;

 

·         Cooperate in other multilateral fora, in particular the WTO, greater equity and greater benefits from globalisation for the developing countries;

 

·         Jointly address the common challenges to our comprehensive political and economic security, including food, human and energy security;

 

·         Cooperate in combating the menace of international terrorism and other transnational crimes such as trafficking in drugs, arms smuggling, human trafficking particularly in women and children, cyber crimes, international economic crimes, environmental crimes, sea piracy and money laundering, through effective institutional linkages and programmes of cooperation giving priority to information exchange and capacity building;

 

·         Collaborate in areas of general and complete disarmament, and in the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction under strict and effective international control;

 

·         Take full advantage of the geographical contiguity of Southeast Asia and India and synergise the strengths of these two significant economic regions to act as powerful engines of growth;

 

·         Give high priority to development of regional infrastructure and road, rail, sea and air transportation links to increase physical connectivity that would facilitate greater movement of goods and people;

 

·         Facilitate travel and tourism between ASEAN and India by developing links of tourist centres to enhance synergies of tourism destinations;

 

·         Promote cooperation in science and technology, in particular information technology and biotechnology, including through joint research and development and commercialisation of new technologies;

 

·         Work through both conventional and innovative trade and economic arrangements, and full implementation of the ASEAN-India free trade area by 2011 for ASEAN-5 and India, 2016 for the Philippines and India and by 2011 by India and 2016 by the 4 new ASEAN Members Countries, including the early implementation of the Early Harvest Programme, to achieve freer movement of goods, services, investment, and cooperation in other economic areas;

 

·         Reiterate full support for the implementation of the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II, leading to the formation of a more integrated ASEAN Community comprising the ASEAN Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community;

 

·         Cooperate to help bridge the development gap among various regions and countries, including through support to the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and sub-regional growth areas in ASEAN, and cooperation schemes between ASEAN Member Countries and India;

 

·         Promote cooperation in human resource development, through capacity building, strengthening of institutions, training and entrepreneurship development focussing on small and medium enterprises;

 

·         Promote people-to-people exchange involving, among others, parliamentarians, youth, artists, sportspersons and representatives from business, industry, media, academic and think-tank institutions; and

 

·         Preserve our cultural heritage, and promote cultural cooperation for better understanding and friendship among our peoples.

 

 

Institutional and Funding Arrangements for Implementation:

 

 

To realise the objectives of the ASEAN-India Partnership, the following measures will be taken:

 

 ·         ASEAN and India will implement specific activities and projects as contained in the attached Plan of Action;

 

·         ASEAN and India will strengthen the existing funding mechanisms, including the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund, for effective cooperation and implementation of the ASEAN-India Partnership and Plan of Action;

 

·         ASEAN and India are committed to providing requisite resources and in accordance with their respective capacities, including mutually exploring effective and innovative external resource mobilisation efforts, to accomplish the various strategies and measures outlined in the Plan of Action;

 

·         The progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN-India Partnership and the Plan of Action will be reviewed by the Senior Officials and the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and India under the ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations; and

 

·         The Plan of Action will be reviewed periodically taking into consideration the dynamic developments in the region and the world.

 

 

SIGNED in Vientiane, Lao PDR this Thirtieth Day of November in the Year Two Thousand and Four in two originals in the English language.

 

 

 

For Brunei Darussalam                                                                       

HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH                  

Sultan of Brunei Darussalam                                           

 

For the Kingdom of Cambodia

SAMDECH HUN SEN

Prime Minister

 

For the Republic of Indonesia

DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO

President

 

For the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

BOUNNHANG VORACHITH

Prime Minister

 

For Malaysia

DATO SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI

Prime Minister

 

For the Union of Myanmar

LIEUTENANT GENERAL SOE WIN

Prime Minister

 

For the Republic of the Philippines

GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

President

 

For the Republic of Singapore

LEE HSIEN LOONG

Prime Minister

 

For the Kingdom of Thailand

DR. THAKSIN SHINAWATRA

Prime Minister

 

For the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

PHAN VAN KHAI

Prime Minister

 

For the Republic of India

DR. MAnmohan singh

Prime Minister