IDNAround – Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached an agreement on Monday on a new regional cooperation platform called ASEAN Concord IV during the ongoing summit in Jakarta.
The initiative for ASEAN Concord IV has been put forward by the current chair, Indonesia, and is expected to “serve as the foundation for ASEAN Community’s Vision 2045″ while strengthening the regional bloc’s ability to address future challenges, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said when chairing the ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting.
“We are already facing significant challenges today, and they will become even more substantial in the future. The progress of ASEAN will depend on all of us,” she said.
She further emphasized that member countries should have the courage to take bold steps to ensure the bloc remains relevant in changing conditions and that differences among members should not hinder ASEAN’s progress.
The ministers intend to recommend the adoption of ASEAN Concord IV by their leaders. However, the detailed contents of the agreement have yet to be disclosed.
In the history of ASEAN, Indonesia has been the venue for several landmark regional agreements. Notably, during the 1976 Summit in Bali, the regional bloc, which consisted of five members at the time, agreed on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. This treaty ensured that disputes among members must be resolved through peaceful means and affirmed their commitment to opposing military aggression. It is known as the Bali Concord I.
The Bali Concord II, adopted in the 2003 summit, laid the foundation for the establishment of ASEAN economic, security, and social communities, as regional economic cooperation became increasingly integrated.
Eight years later, the Bali Concord III was adopted to enable the bloc’s active participation and contribution to global interactions.
ASEAN consists of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, with Timor Leste as a prospective member for future accession.
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