South-east Asia will usher in a new era of cooperation and stability, following last week’s conclusion of the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

They affirmed the commitment to establish the Asean Community (AC) by the end of this year, to be formalised by the Asean heads of government in November.

The AC will comprise the three pillars of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), the Political-Security Community (APSC) and Social-Cultural Community (ASCC), which were envisaged by the Asean Summits of 2003 and 2005.

The AC represents the highest form of regional cooperation among the 10 member states of Asean, and can be seen as the culmination of a few decades of Asean’s role in fostering positive inter-state relations. That has helped develop rapport and facilitated the habit of cooperation among their leaders and people.

… The writer is Distinguished Fellow and Bakrie Professor of Southeast Asia Policy, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.