New Delhi: The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, on Thursday outlined India’s priorities on counterterrorism, maritime security, disaster resilience and emerging technologies after addressing the 33rd Asean Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting in Manila. Sharing details of his intervention in a 12-point post on X, the minister said the discussions reflected India’s broader vision for a secure, stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar said the ARF remains an important platform for addressing political and security issues in the Indo-Pacific amid an increasingly complex strategic environment. He welcomed the Manila Plan of Action, noting that its five pillars are aligned with India’s approach to the region.
In his post, the minister highlighted India’s collaborative approach to disaster management through the sharing of best practices, development of common standard operating procedures and joint exercises. He also pointed to India’s contributions through the coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure, deployment of field hospitals, search-and-rescue teams, and humanitarian assistance for countries affected by recent cyclones and earthquakes.
Counterterrorism featured prominently in the minister’s remarks. Jaishankar emphasised the need for zero tolerance towards terrorism and called for stronger international efforts to cut off financial networks that support terrorist activities. He also noted that India is co-chairing the experts’ working group on counterterrorism with Malaysia under the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) framework and is leading the preparation of a compendium of best practices.
On maritime security, Jaishankar said India is contributing through the Information Fusion Centre, the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative and the deployment of Indian forces from the North Arabian Sea to the western Pacific. He said these efforts are helping counter piracy, trafficking and narcotics trade while ensuring the security of maritime commerce.
Jaishankar also underlined the need to guard against attempts to weaken global non-proliferation and disarmament efforts. He advocated a responsible, human-centric approach to artificial intelligence and called for deeper international cooperation to combat cybercrime.
Referring to maritime trade, he said attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and stressed that international waterways should remain safe and open. On the South China Sea, he reiterated India’s support for a substantive, effective and legally binding Code of Conduct that is fully compliant with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 and safeguards the legitimate rights of all users.