Regional cooperation strengthened at 42nd Asean Summit – PM Anwar

12 May 2023

By Wartawan Nabalu News

INDONESIA: The 42nd Asean Summit, which ended here yesterday, has achieved various forms of concrete cooperation among member countries in various fields, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the summit was very meaningful as it demonstrated the strength and resilience of Asean in facing current challenges.

“The various forms of concrete cooperation included cooperation in the fields of economy, electric car ecosystem, conducting trade through the use of local currencies and inter-country digital payments to make Asean stronger,” he told Malaysian journalists.

He said Asean leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Asean Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) as the main mechanism for managing relations among countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

He said AOIP was more balanced and gave priority to regional security, stability and prosperity, apart from promoting open, inclusive and more sustainable cooperation.

“The leaders have agreed to consolidate their stand and defend the position of Asean as a free zone and avoid getting involved in big power rivalries,” he added.

Anwar said his proposal to establish an Asian Monetary Fund to strengthen the region’s economy and security network had received a positive response from the various governments, but it was still at an early stage.

On the Myanmar issue, he said the regional leaders had agreed to defend the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) principle in resolving the controversial and complicated conflict as well as managing humanitarian assistance.

He said the resolution method adopted was based on international principles and negotiations with all interested parties in Myanmar to promote progress in the implementation of 5PC.

“Our stand is clearer because any delay in settling the Myanmar issue will burden the Rohingya ethnic group and also Malaysia, which has been saddled with more than 200,000 refugees,” he said.

The summit also witnessed the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding on various areas of cooperation among Asean member states and dialogue partners.