New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who addressed the 10th ASEAN Defense Ministers meeting-plus in Jakarta on Thursday, stressed the role of dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace and ensuring global peace and geopolitical stability.
He reaffirmed India’s message to the world at large. "This is not an era of war”, Singh said. He also spoke about the imperative to give up the “us versus them” mindset.
Rajnath Singh appreciated ASEAN Member States’ enthusiastic participation in India-ASEAN activities, particularly the initiative for women in UN peacekeeping missions, and the initiative for marine plastic pollution response.
He also appreciated ASEAN Member States’ active participation in the maiden ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise held in May this year, as well as in the Expert Working Group (EWG) on Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) activities, of which India and Indonesia are co-chairs in the current 2020-2023 cycle.
Recognising that terrorism is a serious threat to international peace and security, including in the ASEAN region, India proposed to co-chair the EWG on counter-terrorism. This proposal was endorsed by ADMM-Plus as terrorism remains a serious concern to countries in the region.
Highlighting that the conflicts extract a terrible toll in terms of human lives lost and livelihoods destroyed, disturb the stability at regional as well as global levels and have adverse implications for food security and energy security, Rajnath Singh reiterated India’s commitment to work with ASEAN and Plus countries to ensure peace, prosperity and security, which is an apt theme for this year’s ADMM Plus.
In his address, Rajnath affirmed the ASEAN centrality and appreciated its role in promoting dialogue & consensus in the region. He also reiterated India’s commitment to freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in international waters in accordance with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
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