Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): purpose of creation, functions

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the largest interstate political and economic organization of the region. Its tasks include resolving many issues in various areas of activity at the intergovernmental level. At the same time, over the years of its existence, the organization has significantly transformed and undergone changes. Let's define what the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is and find out the reasons for its creation.

Prehistory of creation

First of all, let us dwell on the events that preceded the formation of ASEAN.

Prerequisites for the integration of countries in the region began to appear even after the end of World War II and their independence. But initially these processes were more military-political, not economic. This was due to the fact that the former metropolitan countries, although they granted independence to their colonies, but at the same time tried not to lose political influence in the region and prevent the establishment of communist regimes in the territory of Indochina.

The result of these aspirations was the emergence in 1955-1956 of the military political block of SEATO, which provided for the provision of collective protection in the region. The organization included the following states: Thailand, the country Philippines, Pakistan, Australia, USA, France, Great Britain. In addition, the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Vietnam closely cooperated with the bloc. But this military-political alliance did not last long. In the beginning a number of countries came out of it, and in 1977 it was finally abolished. The reason was the ever-less interest of former metropolitan countries in the affairs of the region, the defeat of the USA in the war in Indochina, and the establishment of communist regimes in a number of states.

It became clear that the unification on a military-political basis is short-lived and is of a momentary nature. Countries in the region needed closer economic integration.

The initial steps towards this were done in 1961, when the ASA organization was formed. It included the state of the Philippines, the Federation of Malaysia and Thailand. But all the same, initially this economic union was of secondary importance in relation to SEATO.

ASEAN Education

The leadership of ASA countries and other states of the region understood that economic cooperation should expand both territorially and qualitatively. To this end, in 1967, a treaty was signed in the Thai capital of Bangkok, known as the ASEAN Declaration. Its signatories were, in addition to representatives of ASA countries, delegated delegates representing the state of Singapore and Indonesia. It was these five countries that stood at the origins of ASEAN.

1967 is considered to be the moment from which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations became operational.

Objectives of the organization

It is time to find out what goals the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pursued at the time of its formation. They were formulated in the above-mentioned ASEAN Declaration.

The main objectives of the organization were to accelerate the dynamics of economic development of its members, the integration between them and interaction in various fields of activity, the establishment of peace in the region, the increase in trade turnover within the Association.

Each of these goals was aimed at achieving a global idea - the establishment of prosperity in the region.

Members of ASEAN

To date, 10 countries include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The membership of the organization is formed of the following members:

• The state of Thailand;
• Federation of Malaysia;
• Country Philippines;
• Country Indonesia;
• City-state Singapore;
• The Sultanate of Brunei;
• Vietnam (SRV);
• Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic);
• Union of Myanmar;
• Cambodia.

The first five of these countries were the founders of ASEAN. The rest poured into the organization throughout the history of its development.

The expansion of ASEAN

The Sultanate of Brunei, Vietnam, the country of Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia were included in ASEAN in the following years. The states of the region were increasingly drawn into mutual integration.

The state of Brunei was the first country in the region to join the five founders of ASEAN. This happened in 1984, that is almost immediately, as soon as the country gained independence from Great Britain.

But the annexation of Brunei was of a single character. In the middle - the second half of the 1990s, several countries immediately joined ASEAN, which already indicated a certain trend and prestige of membership in the organization.

In 1995, Vietnam became a member of ASEAN, a country in which governance was based on Marxist ideology. It should be noted that previously only ASEAN countries were included in the development of the Western model. Entering the organization of the communist state testified to the deepening of integration processes in the region and the priority of economic cooperation over political disagreements.

In 1997, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was joined by two members. They are Laos and Myanmar. The first of them is also a country that has chosen a communist type of development.

At the same time Cambodia was to join the organization, but because of political turmoil this was postponed for 1999. However, in 1999 everything went smoothly, and the state became the tenth member of ASEAN.

The situation of observers is Papua New Guinea and DR East Timor. In addition, in 2011, East Timor submitted an official application for full membership in the organization. While this application is under consideration.

Controls

Let's look at the ASEAN governance structure.

The supreme body of the Association is the summit of the heads of states included in it. Since 2001, it has been held annually, and until that time the meetings were organized once every three years. In addition, the cooperation takes place in the format of meetings of representatives of the foreign ministries of the participating countries. They are also held annually. More recently, meetings and representatives of other ministries, in particular agriculture and the economy, began to be held more often.

The current management of the affairs of ASEAN is entrusted to the Secretariat of the organization, located in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. The head of this body is the Secretary-General. In addition, ASEAN has nearly three dozen profile committees and more than a hundred working groups.

ASEAN activities

Let's consider the basic directions of activity of the given organization.

Currently, the basic document that is taken as a basis for determining the overall strategic development of the organization and the relationships within it is the treaty signed in Bali by the delegates of the participating countries.

Since 1977, the agreement on simplified trade between the states of the region began to operate. The integration of the countries of South-East Asia into the economy was consolidated in 1992 by the creation of a regional free trade zone , named AFTA. This is considered by many experts as the main achievement of ASEAN. At this stage, the Association, as a subject of international law, is working to conclude free trade agreements with China, India, the Australian Union, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea and a number of other countries.

In the early 1990s, the threat of economic and political domination of the United States in the region was particularly significant. This was tried to prevent Malaysia. The country proposed the creation of a Council, which, apart from the ASEAN countries, would include the PRC, the Republic of Korea and Japan. This organization was supposed to protect regional interests. But the project failed to be implemented, as he met stubborn resistance from the United States and Japan.

However, China, Korea and Japan still managed to attract to the activities of the Association. For this purpose, the organization ASEAN plus Three was established in 1997.

Another important program is the task of ensuring security and political stability in the region. Since 1994, the forum on security issues, called the ARF, began to operate. Nevertheless, the members of the organization did not want to turn ASEAN into a military bloc. In 1995, they signed an agreement that recognized South-East Asia as a region free of nuclear weapons.

Within the framework of the organization, environmental issues are also being actively addressed.

Development prospects

Further economic integration of the states of the region, as well as deepening cooperation with other countries of the Asia-Pacific region, is a priority for ASEAN in the future. This program is designed to implement the Single ASEAN community, founded in 2015.

Another task of the organization in the near future is to bridge the gap in economic development between its members. Thailand, the country of Singapore and Malaysia in economic terms today are ahead of other states in the region. By 2020, it is planned to significantly reduce this gap.

Organization Value

The importance of ASEAN for the development of the countries of Southeast Asia is very great. Since the inception of the Association, one of the most backward regions of Asia has merged into the number of advanced not only on the continent, but also in the world. In addition, the number of armed conflicts in the region has significantly decreased. The development of economic ties between the members of the Association contributes to their prosperity.

The organization plans to achieve even more significant peaks.