India vows to strengthen ASEAN-India transport cooperation

"Two major developments are lending even greater urgency to our connectivity agenda. One is the ASEAN march towards an ASEAN Community by 2015, which will consolidate a market of more than 600 million people and a combined GDP of USD 2.3 trillion," Indian foreign ministry official for the region, Anil Wadhwa stated during a function on the topic "ASEAN-India Maritime Transport Cooperation," organized by ASEAN-India Centre in the capital New Delhi. "The second development is the consolidation of economic and commercial engagement between India and ASEAN through the FTA on Trade in Goods, which has been in place since 2009, and the Free Trade Agreement on Services and Investment which is expected to be signed in the coming months after ASEAN countries complete their internal processes for signature. This will integrate an economic space of 1.8 billion people and a GDP of over USD 3.7 trillion," the official added. Detailing out more information, the foreign ministry official said India has become the third partner country of the ASEAN, after China and Japan, to begin formal discussion on connectivity with the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC). Indian foreign ministry said they have asked the country's Ministry of Shipping to establish a Joint Working Group on Maritime Connectivity to look into various aspects of promoting maritime connectivity with ASEAN. "In particular, we need to find ways to assure trade volumes to sustain a shipping line connecting India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam," the official added