ASEAN regional forum participants discuss pressing issues, future trends: MEA

New Delhi [India], August 6 : The Minister of State for External Affairs Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India's delegation to the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting held virtually on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The Meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam. The ARF member countries exchanged views on international and regional issues, as well as future direction of the ARF. Dr Singh presented India's perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the threat of terrorism, the importance of UNCLOS in the maritime domain and cybersecurity.
"The ARF Ministers adopted two Joint Statements on i) Promoting the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda, ii) Preventing and Combating Cybercrime," MEA said.
"India engages actively in ARF activities and initiatives on Maritime Security; Counter-Terrorism; Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); Disaster Relief etc. In 2021, India co-chaired an ARF workshop on Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," it added.
During 2021-22, India will co-chair the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Maritime Security and conduct a workshop on International Ship and Port facility Security Code (ISPS Code).