ASEAN: Sebuah Pengantar

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, atau yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan ASEAN, merupakan sebuah organisasi negara-negara yang dibentuk di wilayah Asia Tenggara pada tanggal 8 Agustus 1967 di Bangkok, Thailand, dengan 5 negara founding fathers yaitu Indonesia (Menlu Adam Malik), Filipina (Menlu Narcisco Ramos), Malaysia (Menlu Tun Abdul Razak), Singapura (Menlu S.Rajaratnam), dan Thailand (Menlu Thanat Khoman). Sedangkan negara lainnya yang bergabung kemudian adalah Brunei Darussalam pada tanggal 7 Januari 1984, Vietnam pada 28 Juli 1995, Laos dan Myanmar pada 23 Juli 1997, serta Kamboja pada 30 April 1999. Saat ini total negara yang bergabung dalam asosiasi ini mencapai 10 negara.

Adapun tujuan didirikannya ASEAN sebagaimana tercantum dalam ASEAN Declaration ini antara lain:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

Sumber bacaan:
1. http://www.aseansec.org/about_ASEAN.html
2. http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perhimpunan_Bangsa-bangsa_Asia_Tenggara

Sumber Foto:
www.ekon.go.id yang diambil dari www.wartakota.co.id