Speaking at a press conference after the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta last May 7-8, Surin highlighted ASEAN`s readiness to help solve conflicts in the Middle East and the North Africa region, saying that the core problem in the two parts of the world lay in the ability of the local government to strike a balance between tradition, the demands of modern life and the principle of good governance.
He expressed the belief that ASEAN can help reconciliation in the Middle East and North Africa as some ASEAN member countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam had reached a certain degree of success in handling the same situation.
"There is no other region in the world that is more diverse than Southeast Asia. And you won`t see serious problems happen in the region, for example, a communal conflict. That`s because we can handle the problem very well," he said.
The 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta discussed transnational crime, human trafficking, security in the region, energy and food security and preparations for the creation of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
ASEAN leaders have agreed and adopted three joint statements on the ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, the Establishment of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and Enhancing Cooperation against Trafficking in Persons in Southeast Asia.
ASEAN is consisted of Brunei Darussalam, the Philippine, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
