(VOVWORLD) - The Summit between ASEAN and its partners (ASEAN+) took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday. ASEAN’s development needs the support and commitment of partners, but ASEAN always promotes a self-reliance which has been tested for nearly 60 years, and it continues to assert its central role in promoting dialogue and cooperation for peace, stability, and development.
 ASEAN leaders take photos at the opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related summits. (Photo: Duong Giang/ VNA) |
The Summit between ASEAN and its partners is part of a bilateral cooperation framework between ASEAN and external partners. The ASEAN+ cooperation mechanisms have brought practical results to both sides.
ASEAN+, innovation of ASEAN
Realizing the importance of major countries inside and outside the region, ASEAN has tried to manage relationships with them in different forms. To this end, ASEAN created a dialogue mechanism, ASEAN+, to strengthen its relations with major countries in accordance with the capacity and circumstances of each partner as well as ASEAN’s needs.
This mechanism is a way to handle relations through dialogue and cooperation at different levels to build trust and promote cooperation for mutual benefit, avoiding force or the threat of force. This is a unique mechanism of ASEAN that no other organization in the world has.
ASEAN maintains relations with 11 official dialogue partners (ASEAN+1), including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, the US, Canada, the European Union, and the UK.
Since the 1970s, through this mechanism, ASEAN countries not only dialogue equally, on a par with the big countries, but also take advantage of resources for the development of trade, investment, human resource, science, technology, education, and technical support.
ASEAN’s dialogue and cooperation mechanism with China, Japan, and South Korea (ASEAN+3) was established in 1997 to support ASEAN in financial and banking reform and economic recovery after the 1997 financial crisis.
The East Asia Summit (EAS), Regional Security Forum (ARF), and expanded ASEAN defense cooperation bring together big countries to discuss peace, stability, and development.
 The plenary session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, September 5, 2023. (Photo: Duong Giang/ VNA) |
Asserting ASEAN’s central role in global matters
Over the last few decades, by supporting dialogues and cooperation and creating appropriate frameworks for all to share their ideas and viewpoints, ASEAN has played an increasingly important role in managing conflicts and handling security, cooperation, and development issues in the region and the world. So far, 86 countries have sent ambassadors to ASEAN.
At the on-going 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, ASEAN leaders have once again affirmed that solidarity is a strategic value for ASEAN to continue to overcome challenges, remain steadfast against geopolitical competition, and maintain its central role in the regional architecture.
In the face of fierce competition between big countries, in order for ASEAN to maintain its central role, the bloc must promote its internal strength and consolidate solidarity to confirm its strategic value.
ASEAN countries need to uphold the spirit of independence, self-reliance, and respect for the rule of law; steadfastly adhere to ASEAN’s basic principles and norms of conduct; and continue to maintain strategic balance with major countries.