Jaishankar’s big message from the global platform: ‘The world is very turbulent, India-ASEAN will have to increase cooperation together’

Manila: Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday stressed the need to further strengthen strategic cooperation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He said that at present the world is going through an extremely unstable period and no country or group of countries alone can effectively deal with such situations.

Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Manila, where along with participating in the ‘Quad’ (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) meeting, he is also participating in various ASEAN related programs. During this, he appreciated the role of the Philippines as a coordinating country in taking forward the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Addressing the ASEAN Ministerial Conference-2026, Jaishankar said that the theme of the conference ‘Together we decide the path to our future’ is in line with today’s global circumstances. He said that the world is currently going through a period of great turmoil and it has become clear that no country can solve these challenges alone.

He said that India and ASEAN should further strengthen mutual cooperation keeping in mind the challenges of the near future, so that common interests can be better protected. Jaishankar specifically said that due to global instability the supply chain is facing the most pressure.

The Foreign Minister also described energy, food and health security as major global challenges and said that these can no longer be taken lightly. He also said that India and most of the ASEAN countries depend on maritime trade, hence security of sea routes and adherence to international laws is extremely important.

He noted that the year 2026 is being celebrated as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’, which will provide an opportunity to give a new direction to maritime cooperation between the two sides.

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