Foreign ministers of the 10-memberAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded their annual meeting in Jakarta Wednesday with a pledge to take actions to achieve an ASEAN Community by 2020.

The ministers reaffirmed in a joint communique the commitment to establish an ASEAN Community and prepared the plans of action for the ASEAN Security Community (ASC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) to be endorsed by leaders in the coming ASEAN summit.

The ASC and the ASCC are two of the three pillars supporting the envisioned ASEAN Community. Another pillar is the ASEAN Economic Community.

The ministers agreed that the ASC would lead to an ASEAN that is at peace with one another and with the world at large, strengthen regional capacities to deal with security challenges and strengthen ASEAN relations with dialogue partners.

They wanted to build a single market and production base in the area with free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labor for common prosperity, adding they were confident that the deepening and broadening economic integration would lead to a stable, prosperous, and highly competitive ASEAN region.

The ministers reaffirmed the importance of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in East Asia. They said this treaty is the key code of conduct governing relations between states and diplomatic instruments for the promotion of peace and stability in the region.

They also reiterated commitment to enhance cooperation with nations outside the ASEAN region in the strengthening of international peace, security and stability.

They reaffirmed the importance of efforts to further cooperation in supporting the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, saying they would work together in the spirit of amity and cooperation to solve the outstanding nuclear issues.

They planned to undertake confidence-building and cooperative measures that would contribute to the sustainability of peace and stability in the South China Sea region.

They renewed their determination to enhance coordination with international community to combat international terrorism and condemned in the strongest term terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They emphasized the need to address the root cause of terrorism, and rejected any attempt to associate terrorism with any religion, race, nationality or ethnic group.

They welcomed the outcome of the nuclear talks by the six parties in Beijing and hoped parties concerned would continue working to find peaceful solution to the issue.

The one-day 37th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting was attended by foreign ministers from the 10 member countries and also invited guests from East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

At the closing session of the meeting, Somasavat Lengsavad, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, was elected chairman of the 38th ASEAN Standing Committee.

Source: Xinhua