Singapore (FN), Nov. 15 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen highly appreciated India's commitment to strengthening ties with ASEAN through ASEAN-India youth training and exchange programs.

The premier also welcomed to set 2019 as ASEAN-India Tourism Year and hoped to have activities and projects that strengthen people-to-people exchanges, as well as the flow of tourism in the two regions.

His remarks were made in the ASEAN-India Informal Breakfast Summit on 15 November 2018 in Singapore, presided over by ASEAN leaders and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India.

ASEAN leaders congratulated the successful convening of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi under the theme “Shared Values, Common Destiny” on 25 January 2018, and the implementation of the Delhi Declaration, to further enhance the ASEAN-India strategic partnership and contribute to the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

ASEAN-India leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction with the economic sectors of the two ASEAN-India regions, which have achieved only US$73.5 billion in trade volume by 2017, less than half of the target, which is set to reach US$200 billion by 2020.

They also pledged together to further broader economic cooperation by strengthening and expanding business, investment and trade in potential areas such as agriculture, tourism industry, pharmaceutical products, science and technology.

As ASEAN’s 6th largest trading partner in 2017, India stressed the need to fully tap on the potential offered by the effective implementation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, the finalisation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and operationalisation of the ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Centre (AITIC).
=FRESH NEWS