Asean chair faces formidable challenges

The Philippines' Asean chairmanship will be one of the most exciting periods for the bloc.

- Kavi Chongkittavorn

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting Retreat in Cebu on Jan 29.AFP

(AFP)

This maritime country faces many pending issues and challenges.

Geopolitical shifts have accelerated sharply in recent weeks, requiring the chair's diplomatic acumen to withstand a political tsunami.

This year's official theme of the Philippines' Asean chairmanship is aptly chosen: "Navigating the Future, Together".

Today, the bloc has 11 members and is increasingly dynamic, with Papua New Guinea (PNG) waiting to become a member.

Indeed, the country has held observer status since 1986. Port Moresby has patiently waited in line for admission, with Indonesia as its strongest supporter.

With Timor-Leste already part of the Asean family, it would be unfair to leave PNG in limbo.

At the recent retreat in Cebu, it was therefore unsurprising that Asean ministers tasked relevant officials with continuing discussions on how to upgrade PNG's status to a Special Observer to Asean.

It is high time to do so. PNG is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).

At this juncture, Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro has said Asean must increasingly consolidate to handle "overlapping pressures".

Notably, Asean once known for its openness to accepting new dialogue partners has imposed a moratorium on new ones.

Last year, Turkey did not become a full dialogue partner as expected because Asean could not reach a consensus.

The United Kingdom remains the bloc's most recent dialogue partner, admitted through a fast-track process in 2021 following Brexit.