ASEAN, India declare 2026 year of bilateral maritime cooperation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday declared 2026 the year of bilateral maritime cooperation.

Addressing the 22nd ASEAN-India summit on Sunday, Modi said New Delhi has "stood firmly" with its ASEAN friends in every disaster and "our cooperation in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, maritime security, and the blue economy is growing rapidly."

Modi said: "The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN."

The Indian premier virtually addressed the summit, held in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

"We are companions in the Global South. We are not only commercial partners but also cultural partners. ASEAN is a cornerstone of India's Act East Policy. India has always fully supported ASEAN centrality and ASEAN's outlook in the Indo-Pacific," he added.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chaired the summit.