NIKKEI | Indonesia and Sri Lanka blast EU for 'double standards' on Gaza

Dharmendra Kanani, chief spokesperson of Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe, said “more political clout and measurable actions” need to come out of the Indo-Pacific forum, “if we’re not to be too late in addressing an increasingly fragile and unstable region with far-reaching global security issues.”

While he welcomed some “important outcomes” such as coordinated maritime presence in the Indian Ocean, including joint naval exercises and strengthening the safety of port infrastructures in South and Southeast Asia, most of the outcomes “have been about reaching agreements but not practical measures,” he said.