The Indian Government has agreed to streamline visa procedures for citizens from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines, said the Financial Times of India on Oct. 31.
Citizens from the four ASEAN nations will be granted immigration visas to enter India at the border.
The decision will come into force as of January 1, 2011.
In addition, India has finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing tourism cooperation with ASEAN countries.
Around 3 million Indian people visit ASEAN countries each year and there are 380 flights between India and ASEAN countries every week.
On India-ASEAN trade relations, the newspaper quoted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying at the 8th ASEAN-India Summit in Hanoi that ASEAN is a nucleus for the economic links that should be established in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indian PM also said he hoped that the necessary procedures for implementing the India-ASEAN trade agreement on the exchange of goods will be completed soon.
Besides, the signing of cooperation agreements on services and investment will give fresh impetus to the two sides’ common goal of promoting comprehensive economic cooperation./.
(VNA)
