Implementation Of Asean Blueprints Action Lines To Be Expedited - Anifah

From Noor Farhana Ahmad Norain KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Jan 28 (Bernama) -- ASEAN Foreign Ministers have agreed to expedite the implementation of the remaining action lines of the three ASEAN Community Blueprints, said Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. Anifah said this was especially when the regional grouping march towards the establishment of the ASEAN Community by year's end. ASEAN Community Blueprints are the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint that was adopted in 2007, as well as the blueprints for political-security community and socio-cultural community that were adopted in 2009. The ASEAN Community is expected to be established by the end of 2105, under Malaysia's chairmanship. The regional grouping is also currently working towards developing the ASEAN Community's Post-2015 Vision and its Attendant Documents. Speaking to reporters after chairing the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat Wednesday, Anifah said the High Level Task Force (HLTF) that had been appointed to draft the documents in November last year, would commence work immediately. "The development of ASEAN Community's Post-2015 Vision and its Attendant Documents is an important undertaking in charting a bold, inclusive and forward-looking future for ASEAN. "It will consolidate the regional integration process that has taken place four decades ago. Our focus is that the ASEAN peoples should be able to feel the impact of our community building process," he explained. Anifah said the HLTF was expected to complete its work by July 31 this year. "Our leaders will adopt the completed document during the 27th ASEAN Summit, which will be held in November 2015 (in Malaysia)," he added. Asked whether the decrease in oil price would affect the ASEAN Economic Community targets, Anifah said: "Definitely it will affect some of the targets. He added that ASEAN would now have to look at their list of priorities and decide on what to be implemented. "No one can deny that with the decrease of the oil price, it's inevitable that we have to relook into especially all the budget that has been presented and all the priorities," he said. The two-day retreat which ended Wednesday is the curtain-raiser for the series of ministerial and related meetings under Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship this year. Themed 'Our People, Our Community, Our Vision', Malaysia's vision throughout the chairmanship is the creation of a 'people-centred ASEAN' involving all sectors of society in the grouping's activities. -- BERNAMA