LAST week, I found myself addressing the topic of Asean integration and multilateralism at two separate venues: firstly, at Kuala Lumpurs Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), along with Indonesias ambassador to Malaysia, Herman Prayitno, and secondly, at Singapores Civil Servants College (CSC), addressing members of the Foreign Ministries of Singapore and Malaysia. That such discussions are being organised with such frequency highlights the fact that for some of the countries of Asean, bilateral and multilateral ties are of crucial importance and remain the main bonds through which the Asean flotilla of nations is held together. Unbeknown to millions of other Southeast Asian citizens, the ties that bind our countries and economy together are sustained thus: through regular contact, interaction, bridge-building, and the sharing of ideas and experiences. That more than 600 million Asean citizens may not be aware of this is not surprising, for the world of policymakers and technocrats is a world in itself, but it remains a world that is alive and dynamic, nonetheless.
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