ASEAN has become a mature association able to create regional stability and security"
Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - The Bali Concord III declaration to be adopted by the 19th ASEAN Summit here will be ASEAN`s commitment and contribution to a more peaceful, just, democratic and prosperous world, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

The Bali Concord III would also be aimed at increasing the ASEAN`s active role in addressing global issues, said Yudhoyono, who is also the current ASEAN Chair, in his remarks opening the 19th ASEAN Summit here on Thursday.

"This ASEAN Summit, God Willing, will yield a Bali Concord III that will map out the road for ASEAN`s interaction with the global community. This is indeed in line with the tradition of cooperation in ASEAN which is always open to and prepared to communicate with the outside world through its dialog mechanism and strategic ARF (Asian Regional Forum)," the president said.

The Bali Declaration on ASEAN Community within the Global Community of Nations would become a blueprint and a common foundation for the ten member countries fo ASEAN to increase the regional grouping`s contribution to the solution of various global issues, according to Yudhoyono.

ASEAN must not merely become a passive spectator who can easily become a victim of problems arising in other parts of the world, he said.

The world was now relying on Asia amid the world`s economic uncertainties and a number of serious challenges waiting to be dealt with such as food security, energy, water, climate change, natural disasters, and the impacts of a technological revolution on people`s lives, he said.

"Having passed the tests of history, ASEAN has become a mature association able to create regional stability and security, and able to increase its economic strength," he said.

The 19th ASEAN Summit is being held from November 17 to 19 and attended by heads of state/government of its ten member countries, namely Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysian, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. (*)

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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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