Hanoi, Sep 9 (Prensa Latina) The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), in its way to launch a community by 2015 , ruled out on Monday the creation of a military alliance or defensive unit , Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said.
ASEAN is to be based on three key pillars: a Political-Security Community (APSC), an Economic Community (AEC) and a Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), FM Minh said to local media.
He also noted that the ASEAN Politic-Security Community will give its 10 members a bigger chance to live in a peaceful and friendly environment, where they unite to cope nontraditional threats as maritime piracy , cyber attacks and transnational crime among others.
Stronger cooperation in defense and more exchanges among ASEAN military officers will increase mutual understanding and trust among the nations’ armed forces, contributing to reducing risks of conflicts, he said.
Also said that ASEAN will strive to build a single market and transform the association into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor and a freer flow of capital, supporting all members so that they will develop evenly.
He noted that the Asean will not be modeled after the style of the supranational European Community nor adopt a single currency.
The association is formed by Brunei, Cambodia , Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia , Myanmar , Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, to sum up a population of 600 million people.
Via: http://www.plenglish.com/
