Sunday 25/05/2025

OPENING REMARKS

Distinguished Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 29th ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Council Meeting.

During our meeting today, we will discuss recent developments in the Sectoral Bodies under the APSC pillar. 

We will also review the progress, in the implementation of the APSC Blueprint 2025, and preparations for its End-Term Review.

The lessons learned from the review will be useful, as we move forward to implement the APSC Strategic Plan 2045, that our Leaders are scheduled to adopt tomorrow, as part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

Since our last APSC Council Meeting in Vientiane in October 2024, we have observed tangible progress across the work of the APSC sectoral bodies.

These efforts have continued to contribute meaningfully, to ASEAN’s Community-building goals and regional integration. The APSC Council Report before us today, reflects the breadth and depth of our collective work.

It is also encouraging to note that over the past year, APSC sectoral bodies have undertaken concrete steps, to bolster regional resilience against external shocks. 

As we approach the conclusion of the APSC Blueprint 2025, our region stands at an important juncture.

We face an increasingly complex regional and global landscape, shaped by heightened geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty, and transnational challenges that expose the fragility of the present world order.

Closer to home, our region is facing increasing security threats, with the rise of cyber-crimes such as online scams and job scams.

Countless ASEAN citizens have fallen prey to these deceptive schemes, and been trafficked to work as forced labour in scam centres. They lost their freedom, their dignity, and their life savings. These widespread illegal online operations also have a negative impact on the economies of ASEAN Member States. 

In recent years, ASEAN has increased efforts to curtail the threats of cyber-crimes. Nevertheless, the crime syndicates have repeatedly demonstrated their capacity to relocate or rebuild their operations.

Addressing these issues comprehensively is necessary for the well-being of our citizens as well as for regional security and prosperity.

It is, therefore, vital that ASEAN enhances regional cooperation, legal harmonisation, and information-sharing mechanisms among its Member States.

Furthermore, the fast-evolving technologies and expanding cyber space not only demand that we safeguard, the security of the region's digital ecosystem and network, but also require us to build their resilience.  

The evolving landscape also demands that ASEAN adapts accordingly.

Moving forward, the APSC Strategic Plan 2045 will serve as a vital compass for ASEAN’s political-security cooperation over the next two decades, anchored in the values of peace, resilience, and people-centred growth.

ASEAN sectoral bodies under the APSC pillar must draw upon the areas of collaboration and initiatives outlined in the strategic plan, to strengthen ASEAN’s collective capacity in effectively responding to the evolving and emerging security and transnational challenges. 

In this context, ASEAN must identify partners that could support our efforts towards this end. It is also imperative that we ensure that our institutions remain fit for purpose, forward-looking and inclusive.

This is important if we are to achieve our shared goal of ensuring a safe, secure and peaceful region for all ASEAN citizens.

Towards this end, as Chair of ASEAN, Malaysia has identified priorities to further consolidate ASEAN collaboration in areas such as dialogue and strategic trust, transnational crime, defence, and legal cooperation.

Malaysia is committed to working closely with all ASEAN Member States to ensure that our Community remains cohesive, responsive and future-ready.

On that note, I look forward to productive and constructive deliberations during our meeting today.

Thank you. 

--BERNAMA