1.    The year 2017 is a landmark year for ties between India and the Asian Nations or ASEAN.
2.    India will commemorate 25 years of dialogue partnership with the bloc this year.
3.    The year 2017 also completes 15 years of India-ASEAN dialogue at the summit level—ie between the heads of government of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam on one hand and the Indian Prime Minister on the other.
4.    2017 also commemorates the completion of five years of strategic partnership between Asia’s third-largest economy and one of the most successful economic groupings in the world.
5.    To observe India’s connections nurtured with ASEAN in the past 25 years, New Delhi is planning a series of events which include
a.    Signing of an air services agreement,
b.    A car rally
c.    A maritime expedition by Indian naval ships to the region.
6.    There is a lot of demand for Indian presence which most regional states view as a benign force. But India is yet to give a signal that its remains committed to a long-term strategic presence in the region.

Economically, India needs to develop connectivities with the region so that economic complementarities can be fully realised.
Military, India needs to evolve into a robust security provider in the region. Diplomatically, it needs a sustained outreach.
Culturally, it needs to build on the shared cultural linkages.
And most importantly, New Delhi needs to build intellectual capital in the region so that India is studied and understood much more than is the case today.