ASEAN

India participated at the ASEAN-Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) in Jakarta in July 1996 as a Full Dialogue Partner for the first time. The first ASEAN-India joint Cooperation Committee UCQ was held in November 1996 in New Delhi, signaling the operationalisation of the main mechanism for Dialogue Partnership and economic cooperation in the agreed areas of trade, investment, science and technology, tourism, infrastructure, human resource development and people-to-people interaction. The Prime Minister of Malaysia delivered the first India-ASEAN Lecture in December 1996 marking the beginning of the India-ASEAN Lecture Series.

G-15

Sixth G-15 Summit was held in Harare during November 1996. Prime Minister Shri H D Deve Gowda led the Indian delegation to the Summit. The G-15 Summit affirmed the viability of the Group as a forum for South-South Cooperation and North-South Dialogue. On North-South issues, India played an active role at the Summit by drawing attention to concerns and prospects of developing countries in the evolving international trading system with special reference to WTO issues. The Summit provided a sharper focus to India's political and economic relations with Africa. A special initiative of a revolving fund for Africa of Rs 100 crore was announced by the Prime Minister.

IOR-ARC

The Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) was launched formally in Mauritius on 6 March 1997 at a ministerial level meeting, in which Minister of External Affairs participated. The focus of IOR-ARC is on the large canvas of economic cooperation with special emphasis on trade and investment liberalization, promotion and facilitation; collaboration in human resources development; science and technology and tourism. India is coordinator for the creation of the Indian Ocean Rim Business Center and IOR-NET electronic data network, undertaking of studies on investment facilitation and promotion and trade-creating joint ventures; and the establishment of an IOR Chair in Indian Ocean Studies and Associate Fellowship Program. India will host the first IOR-ARC Trade fair in 1999.

APEC

India continued to reiterate its interest in membership of APEC on the basis of its geographical location, degree of trade and investment 'interaction and potential, size of the economy, and ability to contribute to larger Asia-Pacific economic cooperation. The subject of India's membership was raised with individual APEC member economies during high level bilateral interactions. This was also taken up at the Foreign Ministers level during the ASEAN-Post Ministerial Conference in Jakarta in July 1996. India participated in the Working Group on Regional Energy Cooperation in October 1996.

ASEM

The first Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Thailand in 1996. India has taken up the issue of its participation with EU and Asian members of ASEM. India feels that being a "dynamic regional economy"; no ASEM would be complete without its participation.

OECD

India's economic interaction with the developed countries through the 29-member Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) made good progress. The OECD's Policy Dialogue relationship with OECD continued through India's participation in policy dialogue workshops on investment, trade, transfer pricing and steel.

G-77

India continued to play an important role in the Group of 77(G-77). The Minister of External Affairs attended the meeting of G-77 Foreign Ministers in New York in September 1996. The meeting focused both on issues of South-South Cooperation and North-South Dialogue of interest to developing countries.

ITEC

Technical cooperation offered by India remained country's primary contribution to South-South cooperation. During 1996-97, more than 600 trainees utilized courses in civilian institutions under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program and Special Commonwealth African Assistance Program (SCAAP). Additionally, training was provided to more than 200 personnel in defense institu-tions. Under the ITEC program, three major projects were executed and feasibility studies for several projects were prepared. Presently 25 Indian experts are deployed abroad in a broad range of technical and development sectors. Relief supplies were sent to sixteen countries.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION

Investment promotion seminars in Germany, Belgium, Japan, USA and the Gulf were organized by the concerned Missions and Posts. In the Seminar organized in Brussels on 25 and 26 November 1996, Minister of State for Commerce led a 39-member delegation comprising of the Chairmen of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and of Foreign Investment Promotion Council (FIPC), senior government officials and important CEOs from private sector. Investment promotion seminars were also organized in India. Prominent among these were: "Destination India" Summit, UN-ESCAP Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure and the World Infrastructure Forum, World Economic Forum Meeting, International Energy Conference, Aero-India-96, INDIA INTECHMART for the Southern Region and Asia Society's Annual Corporate Conference.

POLICY PLANNING AND RESEARCH

During 1996-97, the Division completed work on the compilation of a Compendium of India's Bilateral Treaties and Agreements for the period 1971-80 and 1991. It forms part of the project of compiling a comprehensive compendium of India's Bilateral Treaties and Agreements signed by India since Independence.