26th ASEAN Summit Is "Very Positive" : Malaysian PM

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak described the 26th ASEAN Summit as very positive with immense desire to see the 10-member country grouping emerge as a strong community. "The grouping of 10 nations is bound to have its differences but those differences would be manageable," he said. He expressed confidence on ASEAN moving forward in a more cohesive and united manner. "I believe the notion of ASEAN as a community will become stronger and more meaningful as the year goes by," he said at the press conference after chairing the 26th ASEAN Summit plenary ceremony here, Monday. The venue of the two-day 26th ASEAN Summit themed 'Our People, Our Community, Our Vision' is split between Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, in Kedah. Earlier Monday, Najib had said 2015 will be a milestone in the history of ASEAN as the vision of creating a single community will be realised by the end of December. It is ASEAN's collective duty this year to formulate a successor document to the Roadmap to Establish the ASEAN Community, he said. "This will provide the basis for how we further strengthen our unity and deepen our integration over the next 10 years, taking us up to 2025." "These are two crucial undertakings for charting a bold, inclusive and forward-looking future for ASEAN and its peoples," he said. Established in 1967, ASEAN comprises 10 countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA