New forum is "missing link" for Asian cooperation: Singapore FM
New forum is "missing link" for Asian cooperation: Singapore FM
Agencies
Cha-Am, Thailand
Singapore Foreign Minister Shunmugam Jayakumar on Wednesday
praised a new Asian forum as a "missing link" for regional
dialog.
Jayakumar was joining ministers from 16 other countries in
this seaside resort for discussions as part of the new Asia
Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).
The forum is aimed at boosting cooperation on the world's
largest continent, but Jayakumar warned against setting
unrealistic goals at a gathering which has been criticized by
some as unnecessary.
"The advantage of this initiative is that it meets a missing
link between west Asia, the Gulf countries, south Asia, the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and east Asian
cooperation," Jayakumar told reporters on the sidelines of the
ACD.
"At the same time, we must be careful not to be overambitious
and unrealistic," he said. "The challenge is how this new group
can be more than a talk shop."
Urging officials from the member nations to combine their
resources and skills to pull the continent out of poverty and
conflict, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who
inaugurated the ACD, said "We must learn to trust, confide and
work together for our mutual benefits, not viewing one another as
competitors."
"Asia is like a giant holding company with many diversified
entities... The uniqueness of each Asian entity when combined
becomes an enormous asset for Asia as a whole," he said.
Jayakumar said there was a consensus to start "step-by-step"
identification of areas of cooperation including tourism, small-
medium enterprises, and energy.
A Thai government spokesman said before the meeting began that
the forum would steer clear of contentious politics and focus on
economics and social issues such as poverty alleviation.
Indian Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said it was important
that the ACD step beyond the conventional regional groupings to
avoid "duplicating what is already being done".
"We have various subregions in Asia and trans-regional
cooperation in Asia is something that would be new ground," he
told reporters.
Jayakumar also said ministers declined to set up an
organizational structure for the ACD.
"We don't want to overreach ourselves in having a big
institutional system or structure, but obviously there has to be
some coordination and Thailand has agreed to (do it) for the
immediate future."
The 17 countries attending the ACD include ASEAN's Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore
and Vietnam, along with China, Japan, South Korea, India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar and Bahrain.
Myanmar, which has had strained border relations with
neighboring Thailand over the past month, declined to attend.
It has already been agreed that the ACD members will not try
to douse the various conflicts in the region. This means the
burning border standoff between India and Pakistan, both of which
are represented at the forum, will not be raised, nor will
irritants between Malaysia and Singapore. Keeping Chinese
sensitivities in mind, Taiwan was not invited.