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JAKARTA: The flag representing ASEAN's 10-member states was hoisted in Jakarta, as the regional grouping marks its 44th anniversary. Even as ASEAN prepares to declare itself as a community in 2015 - it has been set a new goal.
During the traditional lecture on its founding day, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on ASEAN to look beyond 2015.
Mr Yudhoyono said: "We can start the process right now. An ASEAN Community in a global community of nations can already be built on the breakthroughs that we recently achieved. An ASEAN with a global platform and a global outreach that the rest of the world can rely on."
In his 20 minute address, the Indonesian leader said ASEAN is in the driver's seat to manage regional affairs and subsequently earn the international community's trust and confidence.
These include brokering the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, managing potential conflicts in the South China Sea and playing a leadership role in the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Mr Yudhoyono added: "For our strength is not in terms of military projection. Our strength lies in our capacity for dialogue, cooperation and problem solving. Our capacity to turn potential conflict into actual cooperation. That is why ASEAN has the responsibility to be an ASEAN Community in a global community of nations."
With its resilient economy projected to grow higher than the world average of 4.5 per cent and a combined GDP of US$1.5 trillion, ASEAN is also poised to be a major partner in the world economy.
But there is much work ahead to ensure that more than half a billion people in the region are able to enjoy the benefits of ASEAN's work.
A sense of ownership has been missing among the people that ASEAN represents. The Indonesian president encouraged more interactions so that people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds are more connected. To achieve this, Mr Yudhoyono called on ASEAN member states to agree on a common visa arrangement soon.
-CNA/ac
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