ASEAN leaders agree on 3 joint statements

ASEAN leaders have agreed on Indonesia`s proposals related to three joint statements of the 18th ASEAN Summit held here on May 7-8, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The three joint statements deal with ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, Establishment of an ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and Enhancing Cooperation Against Trafficking in Persons in South East Asia, the ministry said in a statement.

In addition, the ASEAN leaders at the plenary session of the summit also discussed the implementation status of a blue print for three ASEAN communities and developments in the implementation of ASEAN Charter, the statement said.

It said the ASEAN leaders also discussed a number of other strategic issues including promotion and protection of migrant workers, handling of sea pirates, fight against terrorism, and enhancing cooperation under the framework of ASEAN Defence Ministers, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asia Summit (EAS).

In the economic sector, the statement said the ASEAN leaders discussed a number of issues, including enhancing cooperation to increase ASEAN food security by among others implementing ASEAN+3 food reserves, carrying out integrated food production cooperation, and conducting food research and development.

In the socio-cultural field, the ASEAN leaders agreed to speed up the function of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) based in Jakarta, it said. 

For the first time ever, the ASEAN leaders discussed intensively the implementation status of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) agreed at the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in 2010 and asked the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) to accelerate the realization of MPAC including the formation of ASEAN infrastructure fund, it said.

The 18th ASEAN Summit is being participated in by Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah Mu`izzaddin Waddaulah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato` Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, Senior Minister of Singapore S. Jayakumar representing Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the host and the ASEAN Chair 2011.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong could not show up because of general elections in the island state.

Source: ANTARA