India to work closely with Malaysia, ASEAN for more secure, stable Indo-Pacific region

India's Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said Malaysia, a founding member of ASEAN and one of the most dynamic economies in the region, has the potential to further advance the role of India-ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific.

"India has the IPOI that relies on the ASEAN-led mechanisms and the Leaders-led East Asia Summit (EAS) framework.

"Malaysia is welcome to join any pillar of interest of the IPOI, and work together for sustainable development of the Indo-Pacific region.

"With the deliberations during the conference today, I am confident IPOI would contribute in elaborating further on India-ASEAN dynamics in the emerging Indo-Pacific order, and also on the role of Malaysia in advancing it."

Muraleedharan said this in his keynote address at the 'India-ASEAN Dynamics in the Emerging Indo-Pacific Order: Pathways to Cooperation beyond the Third Decade' international conference, organised by the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with Centre for ASEAN Regionalism University Malaya (CARUM) and Asia Europe Institute (AEI).

Muraleedharan is here for a two-day visit after his May 30-31 visit to neighbouring Brunei Darussalam.

The minister pointed out that both nations are participating countries of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), launched in May last year, with India committed towards building resilient supply chains and a fair economy to spur further growth in the region.

"We note with interest that Malaysia conveyed its readiness to discuss relevant issues through IPEF to ensure that the members can optimise the economic and strategic benefits as outlined in the framework," he said adding that Malaysia joining the IPEF signaled its desire to make a positive contribution.

The international conference is held aimed at creating opportunities for policymakers, scholars and researchers from India, Malaysia, and ASEAN to meet, discuss and put forward recommendations for promoting India-ASEAN relations in general, and their strategic, economic, and developmental partnerships in the emerging Indo-Pacific order, in particular.

The one-day conference also sought avenues for greater synergies between policymakers and the academic community on issues concerning India's Act East policy - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship foreign policy initiative - launched in 2014 to boost ties with ASEAN and the wider Indo-Pacific region.