ASEAN 2045 To Drive Deeper Regional Integration Amid Global Uncertainties - Maris

By Voon Miaw Ping

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- The “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future” is an important document that will drive the Southeast Asian region towards deeper integration and the building of a stronger, more resilient and prosperous future together, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said.

He said adoption of the document is both timely and critical as the region navigates through global uncertainties.

“ASEAN integration is very important. ASEAN must be very strong, particularly in this period of global uncertainty and significant challenges,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit, here today.

Maris said ASEAN Foreign Ministers have consistently underscored the importance of reinforcing unity across political, economic, and social fronts.

“The key message is that ASEAN must be stronger together, and how we can forge stronger integration,” he said.

The ASEAN 2045 vision document, which is expected to be signed and launched by regional leaders during the ASEAN Summit tomorrow, is built on four main pillars: Political and Security, Economic Collaboration, Social and Cultural, and Connectivity.

Together, these elements aim to lay the foundation for a stronger, more cohesive and connected ASEAN over the next 20 years.

Inclusivity remains a cornerstone of the document, Maris stressed, noting that the vision aims to ensure no one is left behind.

“When ASEAN is strong together, we leave no one behind. Then, we can work with each and every one, major powers and members of the global community,” he said.

Maris also highlighted the importance of strengthening intra-ASEAN economic collaborations and expanding partnerships beyond the region.

He noted ASEAN's growing global significance, having become a major marketplace and global trading partner.

He said robust people-to-people exchanges will also serve as a cornerstone for the region’s shared future.

With a population of 690 million, ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. The bloc’s collective gross domestic product (GDP), currently approaching USD4 trillion, is projected to grow at 4.7 per cent in 2025, setting it on the right track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy in 2030.

ASEAN, formed in 1967, currently consist of 10 member countries namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The 46th ASEAN Summit and its related meetings, which are being held under Malaysia’s 2025 Chairmanship theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, are expected to address a wide range of pressing regional and international issues.

This year marks Malaysia’s fifth time chairing the regional bloc, having previously held the ASEAN chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.

In addition to the ASEAN-level meetings, two important inter-regional summits -- the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit -- will also take place on May 26 and 27, signalling the growing engagement between Southeast Asia and its strategic partners in the Gulf and China.

-- BERNAMA