"ASEAN differs from the Euro Zone which exclusively deals with things in the economic field," Gita said in a dialog themed "Re-envisioning the 21st Century Global Economic Architecture" as a framework of the 19th ASEAN Summit in Nusa Dua.
He said the Euro Zone which was now being hit by economic crisis had taken over the monetary policy making functions of European governments as reflected in the adoption of the Euro single currency.
The trade minister pointed out that since ASEAN was established in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 8, 1967, it has been standing in principle on three aspects namely social, politics and security, and economy.
"It means ASEAN does not only deal with economic matters," Gita said, adding that ASEAN would not be able to move forward if it merely stood on economic integration aspect alone.
For a country or region to move forward, Gita said it should be able to overcome the basic problems of adequate food and energy.
Besides, he noted that the Southeast Asian countries should also be able to overcome their respective domestic connectivity problem before being successful in creating regional connectivity.
The 19th ASEAN Summit is being attended by the heads of state/government of Brunei Darussalam, Camboda, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
(SYS/O001)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
