00:00As ASEAN continues its community building journey, nurturing a sense of shared belonging
00:11among our peoples is essential. Equally important is ensuring that the meaning and impact of regional
00:20integration are communicated clearly, directly, and accurately to our people. This is where
00:30the ASEAN Secretariat must work closely with the media, with our friends from the media,
00:36to build and promote awareness, promote better understanding, and of course, undertake activities
00:48that would not just correct, but to guide, I think, the way things are moving ahead with
00:56the ASEAN integration agenda. This milestone reflects ASEAN's ongoing commitment to building
01:02a stronger regional identity and stronger integration. We would also like to acknowledge the media
01:12representatives from Timeless Day who have been a valued participant in this forum since
01:18Timeless Day was granted observable status back in 2022. We look forward to your continued
01:27engagement and contributions to the media forum in the years to come. Excellencies, ladies and
01:34gentlemen, to ensure that our communities fully understand the outcomes, the decisions, and
01:42commitments that have been made by ASEAN member states. Of course, it has leveled our leaders.
01:50Close collaboration and cooperation with media friends and partners is indeed essential. In this regard,
01:58the ASEAN media forum continues to serve as an important platform, as well as a bridge between
02:09ASEAN and the public. It is important that we have this important role to the media to communicate.
02:17The forum, of course, provides a valuable space for open and constructive dialogue between media
02:21professionals, and ASEAN policy makers, official academic start leaders, and business leaders as well.
02:31Over the years, it has evolved, meaning that the ASEAN media forum has evolved into a very important
02:37platform for ASEAN through the ASEAN chair to convey our region's priorities, progress, as well as challenges
02:48that we face to the media. Ultimately, the forum seeks to deepen media leaders' understanding of ASEAN's work
02:56and how the media can best support the work of ASEAN and, of course, include the ASEAN secretary
03:04in communicating the ASEAN story and convey the ASEAN narratives and the way that connect with the
03:11people across the entire region here. Also, as you know, there's also the change in the media sector as well.
03:21Media has been evolving rapidly to where today basically everything becomes instant, right, from instant
03:31noodles to instant cash to instant media. So very broad. So it's a lot of things that you have to basically
03:39have headlines come out very quickly. I know the media very well. They always have the scoops, the sound bites,
03:46the headlines that go up very fast. So this is quite important for media. I know that this is your work there.
03:54This is why you're present here today. It's important to us. Through your reporting and storytelling,
04:01you can help audiences better understand and appreciate the work of ASEAN and its effort to enhance
04:10the quality of life for people across the ASEAN region. I, therefore, encourage all of media friends
04:17to take an active part in today's ASEAN media forum discussions. Please share your perspectives.
04:27Please ask good questions also to our panelists and exchange ideas and offer your insight. Not only with
04:36our speakers and panelists, but of course, between and among yourself as well. I'm sure that you also
04:44engage in your own discussion. Through your engagement, we can continue to share how ASEAN's collective
04:51efforts to enable our peoples to grow, to thrive, and to prosper. The 47th summit and today's summit was truly a successful,
05:05remarkable achievement for Malaysia as ASEAN, but for ASEAN as a whole. I think we've seen for the very first
05:16time the leaders from all continents took part in the summit. I think Malaysia has done truly a milestone
05:26achievement there for the full membership here.
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