ASEAN Plus Three to Cooperate to Ensure Food, Energy Security

Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA) - ASEAN's 10 member countries along with their Plus Three partners - China, South Korea and Japan -have agreed to enhance cooperation in ensuring food and energy provisions for their region's peoples. According to a joint statement released by the ASEAN chair here on Saturday, foreign ministers of ASEAN and the Plus Three partners met last July 21 in Bali and agreed to soon sign an ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Agreement in October 2011, as a permanent mechanism to ensure food security in the region. The ministers also encouraged further deliberations on the possibility of establishing modalities to achieve the same aims for other staple foods. During their meeting in Bali, the ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring energy security in the region by promoting energy diversification through information exchanges and research on alternative, new, and renewable energy development, as well as energy conservation, energy efficiency, and the use of clean and environmentally-friendly technologies. Apart from the two sectors of cooperation, the Ministers underscored the importance of new proposals for cooperation in the ASEAN Plus Three framework which, among others, include cooperation in food safety and standards, water management, deforestation prevention and reforestation, as well as disaster management. The ministers also agreed to further deepening political and security cooperation, as well as strengthening policy coordination and sustaining economic growth in the region. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation in maintaining and enhancing peace, security, and stability as indispensable conditions for development in the region. To that end, the Ministers decided to intensify political and security cooperation as provided for in the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan (2007-2017). The work plan itself has a view to ensuring peace, security, and stability in the region. The Ministers shared the view that terror threats, which may impede the enhancement of the ASEAN connectivity and ASEAN integration, still exist in the region and renewed their continued commitment to cooperate in combating transnational crimes as reflected in the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan.