BANGALORE, 20 February 2012 – The visit to India by the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) concludes on a successful note at the city of Bangalore, also known as the Garden City and India’s IT and technology hub.

In addition to external coordination, the visit was one of the commemorative activities lined-up this year to celebrate the 20 years of ASEAN-India dialogue relations and as a channel of cooperation. The CPR travelled to New Delhi and Bangalore where they met and exchanged views on ways to further deepen ASEAN-India dialogue relations with high-ranking officials. These included meetings with government ministries; and authorities and institutes of India-which are key proponents of ASEAN-India cooperation projects and programmes: Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Research & Information  Services for Developing Countries, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Infosys.

During the visit, the CPR also participated in the Delhi Dialogue IV under the theme “India and ASEAN: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability”. The Delhi Dialogue is an annual, high-profile forum attended by high-level officials, think-tanks and business leaders from ASEAN and India.

The delegation also met with the ASEAN Committee in New Delhi (ACND), including the Ambassadors of the ASEAN Member States to India. The ACND is part of the mechanism called ASEAN Committees in Third Countries and International Organisations (ACTC), which are established in countries having dialogue with ASEAN to safeguard and advance ASEAN interests through joint consultation with the host governments.