Guwahati, Feb 5: India and ASEAN have emerged as rising Asian powers in the new millennium with fast-growing new economies. India Foundation and Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (MEA) are organizing the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit on the theme “Connectivity: Pathway to Shared Prosperity” in Guwahati from 03-07 February 2019.
India and ASEAN have a formidable demographic dividend and a population commanding a considerably high purchasing power have given to this region an immense potential for growth-centric mutual cooperation. While India’s civilisational, cultural and commercial trade links with the region go back many centuries, renewed and revitalized engagement within the region has come about with India’s Act East Policy which was formally enunciated by India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in November 2014.
Building on the success of the first India-ASEAN Youth Summit, 2017, the 2nd edition of ASEAN-India Youth Summit on the theme “Connectivity: Pathway to Shared Prosperity” started in Guwahati on 3rd February 2019.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership in 2017, India Foundation, in collaboration with ASEAN Secretariat and Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (MEA), organized the first India-ASEAN Youth Summit 2017, themed on Shared Values, Common Destiny. The Youth Summit elicited a very positive response and resulted in an ongoing association between the delegates which continues till date. It provided a platform for youth leaders of both India and ASEAN to engage with each other to develop a resilient and symbiotic relationship between countries. This is reflective of the close cultural and civilizational links that have bound India with South East Asia over a millennium.
This confluence of youth leaders from India and the ten ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam will lead to a shared understanding of the challenges we face and the actions that we need to take to restore and nourish connectivity in all dimensions within the region.
The young leaders from India and ASEAN will participate in these events.
The participants from some of the largest institutions in these countries such as political parties, think-tanks, media, and cultural organizations will discuss key pillars of the India-ASEAN relationship and institutional co-operation across the India-ASEAN region.
Connectivity with ASEAN in all its dimensions—physical, institutional and people-to-people always is a strategic priority for India. In that regard, ASEAN-India Youth Summit is a step to facilitate socio-cultural exchanges between the countries of the region, to further strengthen the values of tolerance, pluralism, and diversity, which is an integral part of the traditions of India and the countries of ASEAN.
The key speakers like MEA Sushma Swaraj, Sarbananda Sonowal, CM of Assam, Minister of tourism K.J. Alphos, Gen.Vijay Kumar Singh, H.E.Kung Phonak (DSG of ASEAN-Socio-cultural community) and other scholars and eminent personalities will address the important issues of ASEAN.