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.