EFFORTS towards realising the ASEAN Community by 2015 is set to top the
agenda of discussions among leaders over the three-day 21st ASEAN Summit
chaired by Cambodia in its capital Phnom Penh.
Speaking during the summit's
opening ceremony at the Peace Palace yesterday, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun
Sen called for ASEAN leaders to prioritise the 2015 deadline through the timely
implementation of programmes and plans of actions towards building the ASEAN
Community.
He stressed that the
accomplishment of the ASEAN Community Roadmap, a mid-term review of the
implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan II
(2009-2015) and a timely implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN
Connectivity are urgent matters.
In order to improve the
operational efficiency of ASEAN institutions and processes, Hun Sen said that
leaders should continue to exert their efforts in finalising a complete legal
framework in line with the ASEAN Charter. He believes that the early
ratification of the protocol on the charters Dispute Settlement Mechanisms will
uphold the culture of compliance within ASEAN.
We need to further strengthen
coordination among executing agencies to promote resource mobilisation, and
incorporate regional agreements into national development programmes and plans
of member states, he added.
Hun Sen stated that maintaining
regional peace and security is indispensable for ASEAN's prosperity and
inclusive growth in the entire ASEAN region. In this regard, ASEAN has to
further strengthen its capacity and role in the discussions and cooperation
mechanisms with ASEAN dialogue partners to address issues related to regional
peace and security, he said.
The prime minister recommended
these tasks to be addressed along with the ongoing efforts in its
implementation under the ASEAN Political-Security Community blueprint, thereby
promoting the effective functioning of existing mechanisms to ensure regional
peace and security.
We should continue to work
together to maintain ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture and further
strengthen cooperation with our partners at all levels, especially through the
ASEAN Plus One and ASEAN Plus Three frameworks based on concrete strategies and
action plans on economic cooperation including trade, he said.
The ASEAN member states were also
told to be more active in providing recommendations and undertaking measures to
enhance the operational efficiency of ASEAN-led regional cooperation frameworks
to respond to global challenges, including security and terrorism among others.
Hun Sen further pointed out that
strengthening and expanding good cooperation among ASEAN sectoral ministers is
another key factor in addressing regional and global challenges, such as
financial and economic crisis, climate change, the depletion of natural
resources and pandemics.
For this purpose, ASEAN should
foster comprehensive cooperation with development partners as well as
increasing its participation in the international community, especially with
the United Nations system and with advanced industrialised countries, he said.
In his speech, the prime minister
noted that the 21st ASEAN Summit is taking place at a time when ASEAN is justly
proud of its great achievements in cooperation over the past 45 years,
particularly the recent accomplishments in ASEAN Community building in the
three pillars, namely political-security community, economic community and
socio-cultural community.
RABIATUL KAMIT
The Brunei Times
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