Chiang Mai (Thailand), Oct 12: Declaring that Asean leaders lauded India for "remarkable progress" on cooperation since the first India-Asean summit last year, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said they welcomed New Delhi's offers for additional flight services from their airlines to major destinations in this country. "They shared our ideas of strengthening India-Asean road links. We agreed to join with Asean countries in efforts to liberalise the air cargo services sector," he said in a statement at the conclusion of his visit to Bali and Thailand.
Vajpayee, who spent two days in this Thai city bordering Myanmar, the home town of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, before leaving for home said India's framework agreement with Asean to bring in a free trade area in ten years was finalised within a year of the first India-Asean summit in Cambodia.
"Asean leaders welcomed our new offers for additional flight services from airlines of Asean countries to our major metropolitan cities and other tourist destinations," the Prime Minister, who attended the second summit with the ten-member grouping in Bali, said.
India, he said, has demonstrated its ability and political will to deliver on its commitment to expand economic linkages with the region. "We made it clear that we can proceed at a pace at which Asean is comfortable," he said.

Bureau Report