00:00Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer in the MQT session, which was led by
00:10a respected friend of mine, on the role of Malaysia's first objective as the chair of ASEAN 2025
00:21in promoting the unity of resilience and regional relevancy in the political, security, economic, socio-cultural
00:29and also what has been done by Malaysia as the chair of ASEAN for us to help
00:38so that this team can continue to be absorbed as a permanent member of ASEAN.
00:47Ladies and gentlemen, as the chair of ASEAN this year, Malaysia is fully prepared
00:55to shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to us.
00:59This is certainly a valuable opportunity for Malaysia to improve the profile and image of our country
01:07as well as to show Malaysia's leadership and efforts as a diverse chair.
01:14For the knowledge of the Board of Directors, this is the fifth time we have been the chair of ASEAN,
01:22which ended in 2015 with 10 members with a 10-year rotation.
01:30If the team is absorbed as a permanent member, there will be 11 ASEAN members.
01:38Fortunately, the theme chosen this year by us as the chair of ASEAN is
01:44inclusivity and sustainability.
01:51This is Malaysia's main leadership in leading ASEAN.
01:56This theme, ladies and gentlemen, is among others to emphasize the importance of dialogue and cooperation
02:03that is inclusive and compatible to ensure that the ASEAN region remains safe and stable.
02:11That is our strength because the strength of ASEAN is a safe, stable and independent region.
02:19This is our motto, the original concept of the establishment of ASEAN five countries.
02:24This is what our former leaders want to achieve so that the ASEAN region becomes a safe, stable
02:37and independent region.
02:43It will enable all aspects of life continuity to be continued by ensuring that no one is left
02:50behind in dealing with geopolitics, economy and infrastructure challenges.
02:54In promoting this unity, the resilience and relevancy of this region is global.
03:01Malaysia has outlined three main priorities,
03:05which are, first, as I mentioned during the inauguration of ASEAN foreign ministers on
03:1318th and 19th January this year,
03:16contrary to what was said by some of the new writers saying that ASEAN has no leadership,
03:22there is no agenda.
03:23We have set an agenda and all of it is well received by ASEAN members.
03:29First, our guidance to promote ASEAN is that Malaysia will give a boost to increase efforts
03:40to ensure that the ASEAN region remains safe, stable, safe and independent when faced with
03:47international geopolitical challenges.
03:50This will be carried out through building strategic confidence, dialogue and diplomacy
03:57through the principle of ASEAN centrality.
04:02Second, our guidance as ASEAN leaders is in terms of economy.
04:10Malaysia will give a boost to efforts, as I mentioned last Monday at the end of the month,
04:16to increase trade and intra-ASEAN investment which is still very low, not even 25%.
04:27Malaysia has the opportunity and space to increase trade and investment while ASEAN
04:34is a very large country and we can benefit from it.
04:37Third, we are encouraging efforts to raise the level of ASEAN trade agreements,
04:45such as A3 and ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement or DFA,
04:52where both of them are designed to strengthen the economic resilience in this region.
04:58Third, our goal is that Malaysia will promote an inclusive, safe and competitive community
05:07by prioritizing efforts to close development gaps, improve quality of life and deal with
05:13the impact of climate change so as to defend the economy and development can be felt by
05:20all layers of society in this region, including the rural communities.
05:25We have coordinated this with the government to promote ASEAN and its aspirations
05:34to form a community that serves the people or with the permission of a people-centered community.
05:41During this year's ASEAN-Malaysia Summit, ASEAN will launch ASEAN 2045 Community Vision
05:50and four strategic plans that will implement these seven strategic plans for the next 20 years.
05:59In the past, the ASEAN Community Vision was 10 years.
06:03We, as the host country during 2015, have a 10-year ASEAN Vision.
06:12Now, we want to make it 20 years, and it has been agreed by all the leaders of ASEAN countries.
06:20That is the ASEAN 2045 Vision, from 2025 to 2045.
06:25Malaysia is given the responsibility and the respect once again as a Permanent Shepherd,
06:30that is, we are the country that is committed to this vision.
06:34We will do this by ensuring four pillars.
06:39The usual three pillars are the pillars of security and politics, the pillars of economy,
06:45the pillars of social culture, and we will add another pillar, that is, we want to make connectivity.
06:53Because the continuity and connectivity between ASEAN countries is very important.
07:00It will become a large network where the mobility of people in ASEAN will be facilitated,
07:09mobility of goods will be facilitated, and it will be a catalyst for our economic pillar,
07:18that is, for us to trade and also to increase investment between ASEAN countries.
07:25Ladies and Gentlemen, this Vision expresses ASEAN's aspiration to promote this network
07:31as a network that is integrated in terms of its political, economic, and social aspects.
07:37Next, let's take ASEAN as an example to the world.
07:41As the main advocate, with the permission of the Permanent Shepherd that I said earlier,
07:46this vision, Malaysia will ensure that it becomes the main structure in dealing with the challenges of the time
07:54and will come through various strategic collaborations that have been identified
07:59to all the pillars of security and stability in this area.
08:04Stability and security are the strengths of ASEAN and ASEAN cannot be broken.
08:10Our strength is that we are a strong cooperative bloc and we ensure that this strength
08:18as a strong ASEAN network, we are not coexisting but we collaborate with each other.
08:26So this is our strength.
08:27And many countries are now competing to sign the TAC agreement,
08:34that is, the Security and Cooperation Agreement with ASEAN.
08:39This year alone, we will sign five or six countries from European and surrounding countries
08:47together as a friendly country in ASEAN.
08:50So far today, ladies and gentlemen, the discussion on these four strategic plans has been smooth
08:56and in line with the plan that we have established.
08:59Two of these strategic plans, the security and culture policy, have been successfully completed
09:08at the office level.
09:10And there are two more, that is, the economy and connectivity are still at the office level
09:18but almost 90% have agreed with all ASEAN countries on these four pillars.
09:24And we will launch it later when we have a summit or a summit of ASEAN leaders
09:34on May 46, God willing, we will launch what is called the Kuala Lumpur Declaration
09:43on the ASEAN Vision 2045 for the next 20 years.
09:48So, ladies and gentlemen, that is what we have done,
09:51guidance for us to act as a pillar for ASEAN countries to be closer together.
09:59There is an effort to divide us, that is what we really want to avoid,
10:05so that the ASEAN agreement remains intact, ladies and gentlemen.
10:10The ASEAN agreement, ASEAN cooperation,
10:12understanding among ASEAN countries is very necessary,
10:16especially at a time when the geopolitics of the world economy has broken down
10:21and is no longer stable as we once felt at one point in time.
10:26So, it is even more important,
10:29even stronger effort for us to strengthen the ASEAN unity,
10:34the ASEAN agreement as a secure, stable bloc
10:39and have a strong potential for economic development.
10:45We are a safe country and many people want to come to trade and invest here.
10:50And ASEAN is now the fifth largest economic growth in the world.
10:57In 2030, ASEAN's GDP will be the fourth largest economy in the world.
11:05This is an opportunity that we need to take,
11:09with the condition that we must agree together and ensure that this ASEAN unity remains intact and intact, God willing.
11:17Regarding Timor-Leste, the second question was asked by the Prime Minister and the Vice President,
11:24Timor-Leste has also stated its desire to become, since they became an independent country in 2011,
11:31stated its desire to become a member of ASEAN, a permanent member.
11:36And we, the ASEAN Secretariat, have done it in various ways.
11:41And in 2022, the leaders of ASEAN have agreed to incorporate Timor-Leste as a sovereign state.
11:57So, we are doing it and for the first time,
12:01because in the past, before the Timor-Leste case,
12:05to become a permanent member of ASEAN, there were no regulations,
12:10there were no criteria or roadmaps that they must comply with.
12:14But it has been done in Phnom Penh since Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and entered as a permanent member.
12:24ASEAN has also stated that anyone who wants to become a permanent member of ASEAN must meet various criteria
12:34and must have a lot of instruments.
12:37So, Timor-Leste is the first country that needs to go through to meet these criteria.
12:43There are a lot, there are 88 instruments in total that Timor-Leste needs to meet.
12:49And most of the instruments are in the economic sector or economic pillars.
12:55Of these 88, 69 of them are in the economic sector.
13:03They need to meet these instruments.
13:06During the Vientiane case last year, Malaysia has also suggested that Timor-Leste does not need to meet these 88 criteria
13:18if they can meet the 20-30% that they have met before.
13:23And we give them time or time so that they can meet it slowly
13:31and so that they can become a permanent member of ASEAN this year.
13:38It seems that the suggestion was well received by ASEAN members and we have also established it.
13:46At the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, we have established a special unit to help,
13:55we call it the Timor-Leste unit,
13:58where Malaysia has also provided financial assistance to establish the unit of 200,000 USD.
14:05And this unit functions to help Timor-Leste
14:09so that they can immediately meet all the requirements or regulations that they need to comply with
14:17and they will be able to integrate us as a permanent member of ASEAN this year, God willing.
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