The ASEAN Regional Forum

Appendix B: Chairman's Statement: The Second Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum

146 146 The ASEAN Regional Forum APPENDIX B Chairman’s Statement The Second Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum Brunei Darussalam, 1 August 1995 1. The Second ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was held on 1 August 1995 in Bandar Seri Begawan. The Meeting was chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam. 2. The Forum was attended by all ARF participants. The Secretary-General of ASEAN was also present. 3. The Ministers welcomed Cambodia to the ARF. 4. The Ministers expressed their satisfaction at the level of stability in the Asia Pacific Region. They noted the ways in which cooperative relationships were developing constructively. In this regard, the Ministers noted the many positive steps taken since the first ARF in Bangkok in July 1994, particularly those which built confidence and created greater transparency. In this respect, they noted the participants’ willingness to address substantive security issues in a spirit of mutual respect, equality and cooperation. 5. The Ministers expressed their appreciation for the consultations conducted by the Chairman of ARF, Brunei Darussalam, with ARF participants to obtain their views in preparation for the ARF. Based on the inputs and proposals, ASEAN has produced “The ASEAN Regional Forum — A Concept Paper”, as annexed. 6. The Ministers considered and endorsed the Report of the Chairman of the ARF-SOM. In particular, they adopted the following proposals in the context of the Concept Paper: A. GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS • The ARF participants shall continue to work closely to ensure and preserve the current environment of peace, prosperity and stability in the Asia Pacific; • The ARF shall continue to be a forum for open dialogue and consultation on regional political and security issues, to discuss and reconcile the differing views between ARF participants in order to reduce the risk to security; and 147 • The ARF recognises that the concept of comprehensive security includes not only military aspects but also political, economic, social and other issues. B. METHOD AND APPROACH • A successful-ARF requires the active, full and equal participation and cooperation of all participants. However, ASEAN undertakes the obligation to be the primary driving force; • The ARF process shall move at a pace comfortable to all participants; • The approach shall be evolutionary, taking place in three broad stages, namely the promotion of confidence building, development of preventive diplomacy and elaboration of approaches to conflicts. The ARF process is now at Stage I, and shall continue to discuss means of implementing confidence building. Stage II, particularly where the subject matter overlap, can proceed in tandem with Stage I. Discussions will continue regarding the incorporation of elaboration of approaches to conflicts, as an eventual goal, into the ARF process. • Decisions of the ARF shall be made through consensus after careful and extensive consultations among all participants. C. PARTICIPATION • The participants of the ARF comprise ASEAN Member States, Observers, Consultative and Dialogue Partners of ASEAN. Any new application should be submitted to the Chairman of the ARF who will then consult the other ARF participants; and • To request the next Chairman, to study the question of future participation and develop the criteria for the consideration of the Third ARF through the ARF-SOM. D. ORGANISATION OF THE ARF • There shall be an annual ARF in the context of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial Conferences to be preceded by ARFSOM ; • The ARF process would move along two tracks. Track one activities will be carried out by ARF governments. Track Two activities shall be carried out by strategic institutes and relevant non-governmental organisations to which all ARF participants should be eligible. To be meaningful and relevant, the ARF Chairman shall ensure that Track Two activities as indicated in ANNEX B result from full consultations with all ARF participants; and Appendix B 147 148 148 The ASEAN Regional Forum • The ARF shall be apprised of all Track One and Track Two activities through the current Chairman of the ARF, who will be the main link between Track One and Track Two. E. IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEAS AND PROPOSALS • In order to assist the Chairman of the ARF-SOM to consider and make recommendations to the ARF on the implementation of the proposals agreed by the ARF participants as indicated in ANNEX A of the Concept Paper, the following shall be convened at the inter-governmental level: • Inter-sessional Support Group (ISG) on Confidence Building, in particular, dialogue on security perceptions...