Indonesia as this year`s ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) chair, is bracing for the 18th ASEAN Summit to be held in Jakarta, May 7-8, 2011.

Preparations for the ASEAN Summit and related activities which would be organized at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), from May 4 to 8, had basically been completed, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi said last Tuesday (19/4) when announcing the host`s readiness.

The country is determined to make this upcoming summit more than just a gathering of the leaders of the ASEAN member countries (Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar). 

Indonesia must not act merely as an event organizer, but should be able to show its leadership in the region and give added value for ASEAN, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta on March 24.

"As the ASEAN Chair, we should not act just like an event organizer in making preparations for the upcoming ASEAN Summits and East Asian Summit. It`s not just like an even organizer. We have agenda, targets, and what outputs that we want to reach," President Yudhoyono said in his presidential office when leading a cabinet meeting discussing the preparations for the 18th ASEAN Summit 2011 and its many other side events.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa explained about the preparations process of the upcoming Summit which will have a theme: "Towards A Global Community of Nations."

Indonesia has set three priorities for ASEAN during its chairmanship, namely to achieve significant progress in the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015, to maintain peace and stability in the region to support the development programs, and to intensify ASEAN cooperation at the global level. 

President Yudhoyono has also emphasized the need to involve the common people and NGOs in various ASEAN activities. 

To promote ASEAN to the public widely, Communications and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring has urged the mass media to help publicize the 18th ASEAN Summit .

"We ask the mass media to help the government disseminate all relevant information regarding the implementation of the ASEAN Summit to make it a success and have positive impacts on all ASEAN member countries," Tifatul Sembiring said after delivering his remarks on "The promotion of Indonesia`s ASEAN Chairmanship 2011" at his office recently. 

The minister hoped that with the assistance of the media, the Indonesian public will be aware of the country`s chairmanship of ASEAN this year and the implementation of the upcoming ASEAN Summit.

The event was attended by media mass chiefs among other things from TVRI, RRI, ANTARA, MetroTV, SCTV, TVOne, RCTI, as well as CEOs of telecommunication operators like PT Telkom Tbk., PT Telkomsel, PT Bakrie Telecom Tbk, and PT XL Aviata Tbk.

During the implementation of the 18th ASEAN Summit, Indonesia will organize around 200 activities in around 16 provinces. The activities will include ASEAN ministerial meetings and peak with the Summit of the 10 leaders of the ASEAN member nations. 

Besides, ASEAN Jazz Festival, ASEAN Culinary Festival and ASEAN Journalist Meeting will also be held, according to the ministry`s Informatics and Public Communication Director General Freddy H. Tulung.

The ASEAN Summit will be supported by various stakeholders such as hotels, restaurants, aviation industry, transportation service providers and handicraft industry.

"All parties must be involved, including the public. Therefore, the media are playing a very important role to inform the public about the existence of ASEAN Community," the minister said. 

In early January 2011, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had instructed all members of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres) to provide optimum security for all the foreign leaders who would come to Indonesia for ASEAN Summits as well as the East Asia Summit later this year.

The 18th ASEAN Summit will be preceded by ASEAN-EU Business Summit and AEM-EU Trade Commissioner Meeting on May 5, and APSC Council, AEC Council, ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and 8th Meeting of ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) on May 6.

During the next Summit, several other meetings will also be held, including ASEAN Leaders Meeting with APA (ASEAN People`s Assembly) Representatives, ASEAN Leaders Informal Meeting with Youth Representatives and Leaders Informal Meeting with CSO`s Representatives and BIMP-EAGA Summit.

Organized annually, ASEAN Summit usually discusses among other things economic and cultural development of Southeast Asian countries. ASEAN has so far conducted 17 ASEAN Summits in every member country. The first ASEAN summit was held in February 1976 in Bali. 

ASEAN was established in 1967 with five members -- Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Brunei joined in 1984, Vietnam in 1995 and Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and finally Cambodia as the 10th member in 1999. 

Besides the 18th ASEAN Summit, Indonesia is also expected to host the 19th ASEAN Summit in Bali in October 2011. The Sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) will also likely be organized in the same place and year. 

The Sixth EAS will be participated in by the 10-nation ASEAN as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the USA, and Russia.

Indonesia`s theme for its ASEAN chairmanship is "ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations".

During Indonesia?s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2003, the country envisioned the establishment of an ASEAN Community and launched concerted efforts to transform ASEAN - from an association to a community of nations.

"ASEAN must enhance its collective contribution towards addressing various global issues. A positive contribution to the global community of nations," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said when speaking at the closing ceremony of the 17th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi, Vietnam early November 2010

Source: ANTARA