Opening Statement by H E Prof S Jayakumar Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore at the PMC 10+1 Session with New Zealand 26 July 2001, Hanoi

Mr Co-Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, I would like to warmly welcome the Right Honourable Phil Goff, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand on the occasion of the 34th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting/Post Ministerial Conference.

2 New Zealand has had a long-standing relationship with ASEAN, dating back to 1975 when it became a Dialogue Partner. It has an even longer history of ties with Southeast Asia, especially its role in helping to preserve the security of the region. Hence, the ASEAN-New Zealand partnership is founded on very strong fundamentals.

3 Over the years, this relationship has matured from strength to strength. From an initial donor-recipient relationship, our relationship has evolved into a sense of partnership, with both ASEAN and New Zealand working to create opportunities for mutual benefit. On ASEAN''s part, we have sought to provide the political context for New Zealand to engage in the affairs of the region more deeply. As a result, New Zealand has been an active and constructive partner with ASEAN to make the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) an integral part of the Asia-Pacific''s security architecture. On New Zealand''s part, it has consistently helped to meet the development needs of ASEAN members.

4 New Zealand''s long standing assistance to ASEAN countries reflects its role as a committed and reliable partner. For the year 2000, New Zealand had designated about NZ$28 million for Asia out of a total of NZ$257 million budgeted for its Official Development Assistance Programme (ODA). Under the ASEAN-New Zealand Economic Cooperation Programme (ANZECP), New Zealand has been providing NZ$1.8 annually for development cooperation projects with ASEAN.

5 ASEAN appreciates New Zealand willingness to share its expertise and experiences by tailoring the projects to match ASEAN''s priorities as laid out in the Hanoi Plan of Action. I am pleased to note that the English Language Training for Officials (ELTO), a popular programme with ASEAN countries because of its well-designed curriculum and good results, is now an annual flagship project. This project ties in well with the sentiments of the ASEAN Leaders when they agreed in Singapore last November that promoting the usage of English in ASEAN countries would help ASEAN meet the challenges of the New Economy. We should continue to work towards identifying more flagship projects that will give identity to ASEAN-New Zealand development cooperation.
Mr Co-Chairman

6 ASEAN is going through a difficult phase. The regional economic crisis, political transitions, and the process of regional integration are major challenges facing ASEAN countries simultaneously. We also face the challenges of globalisation and the demands of the new economy. To confront its problems, the ASEAN Informal Summit in Singapore set a clear direction for ASEAN''s future by making regional integration a key priority in the coming years. The Leaders committed ASEAN to closer integration of our ten markets in order to make ASEAN more competitive. They also launched the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), which sets a long-term strategic direction for ASEAN''s development. The IAI reflects the ASEAN Leaders'' concern that a divided ASEAN is not good for Southeast Asia and the stability of the broader region. As an umbrella framework that will allow both the more advanced ASEAN countries and the Dialogue Partners to pool and match resources and strengths to help the newer and less advanced ASEAN countries, the IAI will be provide the opportunity for New Zealand and ASEAN to work together in bridging development gaps in the region. As a start, New Zealand could extend its expertise and know-how in areas like IT to the CLMV countries. Singapore is prepared to conduct joint programmes with New Zealand in areas where we are strong.

7 ASEAN has always valued New Zealand''s sustained interest in our region. However, in a time of great change, both ASEAN and New Zealand must find new ways to help us manage and adapt to regional trends and international realities. Other regions are already adapting and broadening their linkages both within regions and with other regions. In this context, it is essential that we find the political will to move AFTA-CER Linkage forward. No region can succeed if it remains static or insular. The Linkage not only adds growth, security and stability but also makes the immediate region a stronger candidate to compete with other regional groupings and to draw investment interests to our region. As other regions like the EU and MERCOSUR push ahead, we must do likewise. The AFTA- CER Linkage is a long-term economic and strategic project, not a temporary alignment of interests.

8 On this note, let me conclude that the ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue is on the right track but it requires both sides to ensure that the dialogue remains relevant, dynamic and beneficial to both ASEAN and New Zealand.