Manila, Nov. 15 -- Indian Ambassador to ASEAN Srinivas Gotru said on Sunday that India is looking to deepen its economic, technological, and defence cooperation with Southeast Asia, viewing the 700-million-person bloc as a vital neighbour and a cornerstone for global supply chains.

Speaking with ANI on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Gotru emphasised that India's primary focus in the region is driven by geographic proximity and economic scale.

"Southeast Asia is right next door. We are a neighbour to three of the countries-we share maritime and land boundaries with three of the countries," Gotru said. "It is, in GDP terms, almost the size of India: $4 trillion with 700 million people. It's economically very vibrant, it's very importa...