With reference to "Look East Policy" of India, consider the following statements:\n1. India wants to establish itself as an important regional player in East Asian affairs.\n2. India wants to plug the vacuum created by the termination of the Cold War.\n3. India wants to restore the historical and cultural ties with its neighbours in Southeast and East Asia.\nWhich of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Option: (B) 1 and 3 only

The Look East policy emerged as an important foreign policy initiative of India in the post-Cold War period. It was launched in 1991 by the Narasimha Rao government to develop political contacts, increasing economic integration, and forging security cooperation with countries of Southeast Asia. The policy marked a shift in India's perspective of the world, with the strategic and economic importance of Southeast Asia to India's national interests being recognised. The second phase, which began in 2003, extends the coverage of the Look East policy from Australia to East Asia, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its core. The new phase thus marks a shift in focus from trade to wider economic and security cooperation, political partnerships, and physical connectivity through road and rail links.