ASEAN plans to hold a maritime naval exercise with India to enhance security between the bloc's member states and the South Asian country while promoting solidarity with each other.
The decision on the naval exercise was made during the Asean Defense Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) on May 17 that was held at the Cambodian Defense Ministry in Phnom Penh.
"ADSOM decided to agree to the request for Asean-India maritime naval exercises to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Asean-India relations. The detailed preparations were handed over to the working group for further discussions," stated a press release issued by the Cambodian Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs.
"The meeting ended with good results in-line with the direction of promoting solidarity among Asean member countries to provide harmonious security."
According to The Phnom Penh Post, the Asean defence ministers were briefed on the progress of the existing Asean defence cooperation agreements made by the bloc's member states.
They also decided on seven key documents to be submitted for further approval in June.
The seven documents include enhancing Asean-US military cooperation, the promotion of mechanisms in support of Asean women peacekeepers and on establishing cooperation between Asean military educational institutions.
Cambodia's People's Centre for Development and Peace president Yong Kim Eng said any military exercises between Asean and India shows a possible new direction and next step for the bloc to take in order to build a credible collective defence against outside aggressors.
He said it also reflected Asean's good relations with most nearby countries, including India.
"This is a suitable time to strengthen Asean's defence cooperation, but I think it is likely that Asean's forces cannot be united with each other to fight against external enemies at this point."
This is because ASEAN member states have different approaches towards the superpowers and there is no single unified stand so far, he added.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged a US$1 billion loan to Cambodia under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation.
The Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) reports that the Indian premier announced the financial support during a virtual bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Cambodia and India mark this year the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
Hun Sen also appreciated India for its active contribution to the Mekong region and assistance extended to Cambodia through Quick Impact Projects under Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Initiative.
The projects were in the field of agriculture, environment, health, rural development, education, women's rights enhancement, and culture.
During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed the promotion of Cambodia-India trade exchange through the creation of a bilateral free trade agreement and on increasing tourism through the establishment of direct flights between the two countries.
According to the report, the high level talks also touched on the Asean-India Friendship Year 2022 and the importance of India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway which will be expanded to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Other issues raised were the situation in Myanmar, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the South China Sea.