The first meeting of the 41st standing committee of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) opened here on Monday, aiming to set the tone for the work ahead as Singapore takes over the chairmanship of the 10-member grouping.
At the opening ceremony, Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo said that being the chair, Singapore feels the heavy weight of responsibility but ASEAN has never been a solo operation.
"It has always worked on the basis of cooperation and consensus and we will work with that attitude in mind that we can succeed if we work closely and in harmony with all our ASEAN colleagues," Yeo added.
ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong mentioned the development of the single market, saying that to do so, they have to bring along their less developed ASEAN economies namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
"Also we have pockets of under development in countries like Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand. All these will be important to us because if we don't bring all of them into the mainstream of economic dynamism, then there will be more and more divisions and gaps," he said.
During the next two days, participants will discuss the ASEAN Charter, economic integration and relevant issues.
Founded in 1967, the ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will celebrate its 40 anniversary in Singapore in November this year.
Source: Xinhua
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