India to elevate E Asia engagement to qualitatively new levels:PM

New Delhi, Jan 13 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left here today to attend the 5th India-ASEAN Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit (EAS) at Cebu in the Philippines on January 14-15 as part of the country's efforts to give a fresh impetus to its 'Look East Policy' and ''elevate its engagement in East Asia to qualitatively new levels.'' In a statement prior to his departure, Dr Singh said India's participation in both the summits was a reflection of the increasing significance of the ''eastern orientation'' of India's foreign policy and its quest for closer enagement with the countries of East Asia.

He said that in the India-ASEAN Summit, he would have an opportunity to review, with leaders of ASEAN countries, the progress that had been achieved over the last year in India's economic dialogue with ASEAN countries.

''We will consider new initiatives that can be undertaken to accelerate this process,'' he said.

The Prime Minister said he believed that the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement was an important initiative to promote greater economic synergy and he would explore steps that both sides can take to hasten the conclusion of this important agreement.

Dr Singh said that the 2nd East Asia Summit would provide an opportunity to take a look at a process that was initiated last year to put in place a regional architecture for greater cooperation and economic integration among countries of East Asia. The agenda of the summit would include energy security, stabilisation of the regional financial system, mitigating natural disasters, environment and other subjects of common interest that could ''only be tackled effectively within a broad inclusive framewrok.'' The Prime Minister said he would hold bilateral meetings, among others, with Philippines President Gloria Macpagal Arroyo, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

''I am looking forward to this visit and to utilising it to elevate India's engagement in East Asia to qualitatively new levels,'' Dr Singh added.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was in Cebu yesterday and today for the ministerial meetings, but will leave for a two-day visit to Pakistan beginning tomorrow. Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath is also there.

The two summits were originally scheduled for last month but the Philippines postponed the 12th ASEAN Summit and all other related events because of concerns over an approaching typhoon.

The East Asia Summit was established in December, 2005, at Kuala Lumpur as a forum for dialogue on broad, strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern to promote peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region.

The India-ASEAN summit tomorrow afternoon will review the ongoing cooperation in various fields, including information technology, economic assistance to less developed CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) countries, tourism, transportation and infrastructure.

The EAS, which will be attended by 16 countries of the region on Monday morning, will focus on energy security, education, avian influenza, natural disaster management and steps to take the process of regional integration forward.

The East Asian leaders will issue the Cebu Declaration on Energy Security on the same day.

Dr Singh is scheduled to leave for India on Monday afternoon and reach Kolkata that night. After an overnight stay there, he is scheduled to visit Asom to review the situation there.

ASEAN brings together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Apart from the 10 ASEAN members and India, the EAS will be attended by Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

UNI