Hyderabad meet to thrash out India-ASEAN issues.

India and ASEAN are expected to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement by end of this year, Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) Ministry of External Affairs, said at the Delhi Dialogue on 5 July 2017.

The RCEP negotiators will meet shortly in Hyderabad and thrash out issues such as those relating to telecom, health, transport and communications in a bid to tap the potential that exists in these sectors in India and ASEAN member states, said Saran.

Saran said that the Indian Government accords the highest priority to cultural, people-to-people connectivity and “we hope to deepen these links through the development of commerce and academic exchanges”.

Saran stressed on cross border trade and investment between India and ASEAN for which the Indian Government was making concerted efforts to make 106 of its rivers navigable, expediting the work on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway project and was considering its extension to Cambodia.

Secretary Saran said that India has put forward proposals for establishing high capacity fibre optic network to enhance digital connectivity.

“The time is ripe to consider grid connectivity with Bangladesh and extend it to ASEAN nations,” she said.

In order to connect with the Indian diaspora in ASEAN nations, she said the Indian Government is set to organise a regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Singapore in December this year.

The Delhi Dialogue is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnerships with industry bodies. fii-news.com