Manila, April 9: Senior officials from India and ASEAN convened in Manila to discuss ways to enhance their comprehensive strategic partnership. The meeting was co-chaired by Periasamy Kumaran, Secretary (East) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Leo M. Herrera-Lim, Undersecretary for Policy at the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the implementation of decisions made during the ASEAN-India Summit in October 2025 and explored methods to strengthen their strategic partnership.
In a post on the social media platform X, Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “The meeting reviewed the progress in implementing decisions from the October 2025 ASEAN-India Summit and discussed ways to enhance our comprehensive strategic partnership. We are celebrating 2026 as the ASEAN-India Maritime Cooperation Year.”
The Indian Embassy in the Philippines shared that on Wednesday, Periasamy Kumaran met with representatives from prominent think tanks, academics, and experts in Manila to exchange valuable insights on various bilateral and global issues.
Kumaran also held discussions with Maria Teresa P. Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. They talked about the process of the India-Philippines strategic partnership and India’s support for ASEAN.
Lazaro mentioned in a post on X, “We had a brief but fruitful conversation regarding the process of the Philippines-India strategic partnership and India’s active support for ASEAN.”
Additionally, the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Manila addressed the Philippines’ chairmanship priorities and the goals and plans to advance the ASEAN community’s development.
The meeting also brainstormed ways to further strengthen ASEAN’s external relations and reviewed preparations for the 48th ASEAN Summit scheduled for May 2026.
According to an ASEAN statement, the meeting included plenary and retreat sessions, attended by SOM leaders or their representatives from ASEAN member countries, along with the Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Political-Security Community.
Official statements noted that ASEAN was established in 1967 in Thailand when the founding fathers—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand—signed the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration). Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN in January 1984, followed by Vietnam in July 1995, Laos and Myanmar in July 1997, Cambodia in April 1999, and Timor-Leste in October 2025, bringing the total number of ASEAN member countries to 11.
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