SEPANG: Strengthening the ASEAN Community was crucial towards connectivity and resilience of the region, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.
He said Malaysia would be the chair of ASEAN next year and is expected to lead efforts in strengthening ASEAN beyond 2025.
Mohamad said Malaysia’s chairmanship was a special year for ASEAN as it would mark a decade of the formal establishment of the ASEAN Community.
“The strength of ASEAN is unity and diversity. In the future, challenges will be more significant, but what is important as the chair (Malaysia) next year, we need to strengthen the ASEAN Community.
“If we are strong, we can come up with better solutions and actions,” he told reporters after the 57th ASEAN Day celebration in collaboration with AirAsia, here today.
In 2015, the 10 ASEAN leaders signed a declaration to formally establish an ASEAN Community in Kuala Lumpur as a milestone for regional integration.
On the preparation for Malaysia to assume the annually-rotating ASEAN chair for 2025 from Laos, Mohamad said preparations are going well, while engagements are actively implemented, involving all ministries, government agencies, diplomatic missions, international organisations as well as the media.
“Next year ASEAN will also adopt the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 proposed by Malaysia, which will set its long-term strategic direction for the next 20 years,” he added.
On the Foreign Ministry’s collaboration with AirAsia for this year’s ASEAN Day celebration, Mohamad said it was timely exemplifying a shared vision of a borderless ASEAN, enhancing connectivity across the region and promoting greater unity.
Meanwhile, AirAsia Aviation Group Chief Executive Officer Bo Lingam said the airline took pride in championing the ASEAN Community’s vision of creating a single market and production base.
He said this would help costs by having common standards – one air traffic control system, one engineering system, open skies policy and common ownership.
“Looking ahead, we aim to welcome 75 million guests on board this year, with half of travellers expected to come from the ASEAN region,” he said.
