Asia and the Middle East: Let the convergence begin

Asia and the Middle East: Let the convergence begin

Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation
Asia News Network
Bangkok

East and West have met and prospered. Now, the Far East and
Middle East are converging. Things will kick off when
representatives of more than 50 countries from Asia and the
Middle East will meet in Singapore this coming Monday and Tuesday
under a new framework called the Asia-Middle East Dialog (Amed).

It is the brainchild of former Singapore prime minister Goh
Chok Tong, who wants to see a deeper level of engagement between
the two regions.

The timing is good given the current situation in the Middle
East and the prospects for peace there. Increased engagement by
all parties concerned, both in the Middle East and elsewhere, in
the past few months has generated optimism. For Asia's part, the
economic strength of China, the economic revival of Japan and the
emergence of India have made it an extremely attractive partner
for cooperation. These enabling environments provide ample
opportunities for future cooperation.

The months and years to come will show whether the two regions
can work together to foster prosperity or whether Amed is just
another, though perhaps indispensable, talk shop. To begin with,
all Amed decisions will be made by consensus.

The Middle East's influence on Asia dates back thousands of
years and touches political, religious and cultural fields.
During the region's oil boom years, Asian developing countries
benefited from millions of construction jobs that were given to
Asian laborers, particularly those from Southeast Asia. At the
moment there are millions of Filipinos working in the Middle East
alongside smaller numbers of Thais, Vietnamese and Indonesians.

What is strange is that ever since it was set up in 1967,
ASEAN has been discussing the Middle East situation in one way or
another at its annual meetings. For decades the grouping's
position on the region has remained constant. It continues to
support the peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict and
the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.
Indeed, it has been the only issue on which ASEAN members have
shared a common view without much bickering in the past three
decades.

The issue has also served as a link between the two regions
that has promoted relationships with members of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Singapore has invited almost all of the Middle East countries,
including some of the more moderate Islamic ones such as Egypt,
which will host the second Amed meeting, and Jordan.

The meeting hopes to produce policy recommendations related to
political, economic and social issues as well as initiatives that
are imperative for further development.

As such, Amed will be "inclusive in spirit and focus on
positive outcomes for greater cooperation between Asia and the
Middle East", according to the concept paper drafted by
Singapore. Working principles will be "voluntary, informal and
flexible".

Amed will also adopt the ASEAN code of conduct of non-
interference in other member's internal affairs and respect for
each member's unique cultures and social values.

The Amed agenda as of now dwells on three key areas: political
and security issues, economic issues and social issues, the
latter encompassing education, science, culture and media. The
participants will come from "a broad spectrum" of countries as
well as policy makers, scholars and other opinion makers. All
participants are encouraged to discuss frankly as an individual
on all topics. Their views are noncommittal.

More than the Asian countries would like to admit, one of
Amed's most important aims is promote the region's views in the
Middle East, which has long been dominated by the U.S. and
Europe. Asian countries have no quarrels with the parties to the
Middle East conflicts. It will be the first time that
representatives of the two regions discuss the situation without
the interference or presence of major Western powers.

From the Asian countries' standpoint, current global issues
are too polarized by the vested interests of major powers and
their lack of tolerance; they hope to promote better
understanding. Dialog between Asia and Middle East, the most
diverse regions in the world, could result in more moderate views
and practical outcomes.

It will be interesting to see how Amed will evolve. On one
hand, it covers the same countries that are part of the Asia
Cooperation Dialog (ACD), which has 28 members and has become one
of Thailand's top policy platforms. On the other hand, practical
recommendations that will follow the Amed meeting are certain to
bear resemblance to the ACD cooperation framework.

Thailand, which has agreed to host the third Amed meeting,
expects the forum to complement the ongoing ACD process, which it
considers an umbrella for broader Asian cooperation, since both
the ACD and Amed share similar principles and objectives. ACD has
conducted 19 activities in 12 areas including agriculture,
tourism, poverty alleviation.

In the end, the success of these processes will depend on the
level of commitment of the participating countries. If history is
any indicator, only certain areas of cooperation in these forums
will be given priority and focus. Only the most practical and
high-yield initiatives, such as issues related to energy
security, e-commerce, IT and human resource development and
cultural cooperation, will take off without difficulty.