Asean needs roadmap for the future, forum told

Asean needs roadmap for the future, forum told

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai delivers the opening speech at Bangkok Post Forum 2017 at the Centara Grand at CentralWorld Hotel on Thursday. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai delivers the opening speech at Bangkok Post Forum 2017 at the Centara Grand at CentralWorld Hotel on Thursday. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) needs a roadmap to move the bloc forward, with unity still the core principle, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Thursday.

Asean is celebrating a successful 50 years since its establishment, the foreign minister said. The challenge now for the grouping was to move ahead amid the changes in the region.

"If Asean is to be well positioned to make the best use of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it has to start looking to the future and to prepare for it," Mr Don said at the Bangkok Post Forum 2017.

The bloc was set up by Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines in Bangkok in August 1967, and later expanded to include all 10 Southeast Asian countries.

Its direction is driven by Asean Community Vision 2025, which underlines the integrity and prosperity of the region based on three pillars of economic, security and political, and social links. (continues) 

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai delivers his speech at the Bangkok Post Forum 2017 on Thursday. (Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong)


Mr Don called for a new roadmap for Asean to guide the bloc beyond 2025, including a serious look at the possibility of fostering closer cooperation with East Asian countries.

Asean already has a regular forum with China, Japan and South Korea, called Asean Plus Three, to foster cooperation with the three East Asian partners.

"We need to see how East Asia can be transformed into an economic community of opportunity, sustained growth and development," he said in his speech to open the forum.

The grouping should play a greater role in deepening relations between Pacific-rim countries and nations lying on the Indian Ocean, he said.

"Other countries outside the region are already developing ideas in these areas. If Asean seeks to ensure its long-term centrality, it needs to do the same, and quickly," the foreign minister said.

Mr Don said unity, by all members, is still key to the bloc in its efforts to move forward, as that was the principle set down by the founding members.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (2)