17th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting held at Hanoi

17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial meeting was held at Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on 23rd July2010. The Foreign ministers and officials of all the 27 ARF member countries, including India, attended the meeting. The Indian side was represented by Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for foreign affairs.

The highlight of the ARF ministerial meeting was the adoption of the Hanoi Plan of Action to implement the ARF vision statement for 2020. The vision statement was adopted during the 2009 ARF ministerial meeting.

The other important event of the 17th ARF meeting was that Canada and Turkey joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South East Asia. The third protocol to amend the TAC was signed to enable EU’s accession to the treaty. Preeneet Kaur signed the protocol from the Indian side.

 Besides these, the ARF ministers discussed the regional and international security issues. India called on all the nations to act decisively against terrorism. India emphasised the importance of the early adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. India reiterated its commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

• ARF is a forum for dialogue, cooperation and confidence building on politico security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. India became a member of ARF in 1996.
• The objective of the ARF meeting is to have constructive dialogue and consultation among its member countries on political and security issues of common interests and concern and to make significant contribution to efforts towards confidence building and preventive diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region.
• India, along with Vietnam, co-chaired the ARF Inter-sessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy (ARF-ISG on CBMs and PD). A meeting of the ARF-ISG on CBMs and PD was held in New Delhi in November 2009.
• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was set up in 1993 as a regional security cooperation and dialogue platform.
• The first ARF meeting was held on 25 July 1994 in Bangkok.
• The decision to establish the ASEAN Regional Forum was taken during the 26th ASEAN meet held in Singapore on 23-25 July 1993.
• ASEAN Regional Forum grew out of its deliberations with ASEAN post ministerial meeting with its full dialogue partners.
• ARF meeting takes place annually in any ASEAN capital within the framework of ASEAN. Turkey is not an ARF member.
• As a 27th member Sri Lanka was included in ARF at the 14th ARF meeting in August 2007.

India’s participation in the ARF meeting is a part of its LOOK EAST POLICY. India is trying to strengthen its relationship with ASEAN. ASEAN offers innumerable investment opportunities for India and can provide India a political stage to make its opinion heard on world issues.