India advocates for rules-based order, diplomacy at ASEAN Regional Forum to tackle geopolitical challenges

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Manila : India has underscored the critical value of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) framework alongside its commitment to dialogue and diplomatic engagement. This approach helps to navigate modern geopolitical hurdles. The emphasis came during a high-level security meeting in the Philippines. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced this on Wednesday.

The diplomatic position was outlined by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in an official social media update. He noted that “Secretary (East) Shri Rudrendra Tandon led the Indian delegation at the Senior Officials’ Meeting for the Regional Forum known as ASEAN in Manila on 09 June 26.”

Elaborating on New Delhi’s intervention during the summit, Jaiswal stated that the Indian delegation “highlighted the critical relevance of the ARF mechanism and support for dialogue and diplomacy in addressing contemporary geopolitical challenges.” It is evident that the ASEAN Regional Forum holds considerable importance for India.

The senior diplomats gathered in the Philippine capital engaged in extensive discussions regarding fluid global dynamics and security. Accordingly, this is often the focus of organizations like the ASEAN Regional Forum.

According to the official spokesperson, “deliberations were held on the regional and international security scenario with a call for combined efforts in maintaining a rules-based order for the global commons in the Indo-Pacific.” As part of these efforts, the ASEAN Regional Forum’s foundational principles were acknowledged.

Tracing the institutional background of the platform, the MEA noted that the security body was originally established in 1993 to serve as a specialised vehicle for dialogue and regional security cooperation. Of note, this institutional background is rooted in the vision that shaped the ASEAN Regional Forum from its outset. Its foundation grew out of targeted discussions during the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference. This conference brought together Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers. It also brought their comprehensive dialogue partners together.

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To systematically address complex security variables, the forum transitioned to an evolutionary strategy in 1995. This followed the trajectory set forth by founders of the ASEAN Regional Forum. Moreover, this framework laid out a distinct three-stage progression. The initial phase was focusing on “Confidence Building Measures (CBMs); second stage – development of preventive diplomacy; and third stage – elaboration of approaches to conflicts.”

Since the inception of this multilateral framework, the core institutional tenets of ASEAN–specifically its emphasis on consensus-driven outcomes, mutual confidence-building, and advancing at a pace comfortable to all participating nations–have consistently steered the broader agenda of the Regional Forum. All of this occurs within ASEAN’s scope.

The influential security collective currently maintains a diverse membership of 27 nations. This includes the 11 core member states of ASEAN Regional Forum. These states comprise Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

The forum’s footprint is further expanded by 10 traditional dialogue partners, namely Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. All of these nations are also part of the ASEAN Regional Forum community.

The security architecture is completed by additional regional participants, including Bangladesh, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea. All of these countries are part of the broader ARF dialogue framework in Southeast Asia.

(ANI)

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