ABSTRACT
Political cooperation was the weak link of the relation between Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India. Since the launching of the Look East Policy (LEP) in 1991, the most often cited impetus for cooperation is the converging economic interest, and, then, the security interest. The Afro-Asian Conference in April 1955, which India had co-sponsored and actively participated, is a major turning point as a striking signal: the importance of this conference on the creation of ASEAN is recognised. ASEAN was one of the focal points of the LEP. Institutional rapprochements were encouraged. ASEAN is a major partner of India, and this dense network of political links might serve as a support to boost the partnership. As India has consistently supported ASEAN as the driving force in further evolution of the undergoing regional processes, their cooperation in shaping the future of Asia, a matter of concern for the years to come, appears only natural.
