More than 200 delegates participate in the 3rd India-ASEAN youth online dialogue (Photo: Phan Tung / VOV)

Ram Madhav, General Secretary of India’s ruling BJP party emphasized the role of youth in a changing world. He said: “COVID-19 has caused great economic distress in the world. Together we must work towards economic recovery. We have also witnessed the gathering storm clouds of a new Cold War between the world’s two biggest powers. This Cold War that is slowly engulfing us is going to be played out in our own backyard, in the very region in which we live, the Indo-Pacific region. We must understand these challenges. We have to educate our own people about the challenges we face today and the common destiny we all share. You are the ambassadors of your own country. As young ambassadors for ASEAN and India and other like-minded countries, you have an important role to play.”

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau highlighted the relationship between ASEAN and Indian young people. He said: “I believe there is a similar connection between every single ASEAN country and India, so let’s encourage Indian youths to come to these countries after the pandemic to enrich their understanding of ASEAN and help the tourism sector recover. My other recommendation is that Indian universities open their websites to foreign students who want to apply to study in India.”