FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Malaysian premier urges ASEAN to deepen regional integration

Malaysian premier urges ASEAN to deepen regional integration

Malaysia-diplomacy/ASEAN/Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Malaysia's prime minister urged the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to deepen regional integration to be able to respond quickly to regional conflicts Tuesday.

Najib Razak hailed the recent diplomatic actions in "dealing swiftly with the recent crisis of irregular migration in South-East Asia"when thousands of starving Bangladeshi and Myanmar Rohingya migrants were stranded in rickety boats in the seas.
While the initial reaction of countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia was to drive away the refugees, they eventually reached an agreement to accommodate the boat people.
"This was a considerable test for ASEAN, but all parties concerned managed to handle it in a timely and effective manner," he said at the start of the meetings of the bloc's foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur.
Najib said the greater challenge that ASEAN would face was the need to deepen its integration as it moves toward becoming a single market later in the year.
"Our 10-member states are at different stages (of development) – and narrowing these gaps is not optional," he said. "It is essential if we are to build a truly integrated ASEAN, which is why inclusiveness and sustainability must be at the heart of our policies going forward."
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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