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Context:
The recent ASEAN and East Asia Summits provided key platforms for regional cooperation and dialogue. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from the ASEAN-India Summit — for the second consecutive year — was seen as a missed diplomatic opportunity for India to reinforce its strategic and economic engagement with Southeast Asia.
Background
- India–ASEAN Relations:
- India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1995.
- Partnership was upgraded to Summit level in 2002.
- These summits offer India a platform to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations and discuss key Indo-Pacific issues.
- The East Asia Summit (EAS) includes major powers — the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, India, and ASEAN countries — making it a critical platform for regional diplomacy.
- The revival of the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, U.S.) in 2017 occurred on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit, underscoring ASEAN’s diplomatic centrality.
Key Developments at the 2025 Summit
- Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Representation: India was represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, as PM Modi skipped the summit. PM Modi Address Virtually.
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
- Founded: 8 August 1967
- Founding Declaration: Bangkok Declaration
- Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia
- Purpose: Promote economic growth, regional stability, social progress, and cultural development among Southeast Asian countries.
Member Countries (10):
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Philippines
- Brunei
- Vietnam
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Cambodia