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Malaysia calls on ASEAN members to develop people-to-people ties to realize potentials for development

Xinhua, November 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Malaysia has called on the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to focus on developing people-to-people relations in their development.

Opening the ASEAN Plus Young Leaders Summit on Wednesday which was held ahead of the 27th summit of the bloc, Malaysian Minister for Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said to realize their full potentials, all the member states can not only rely on diplomatic communities or diplomatic leaders.

"It should be real relationships, business-to-business and people-to-people relationships."

Citing the event of 2034 FIFA World Cup which ASEAN youth and sports ministries have decided to bid, the Malaysian minister said this is the time to organize iconic events to make ASEAN relevant and something they can relate to on a daily basis.

"This will further spur the building of government-to-government relationship, business-to-business ties and people-to-people relationship that we have with the new generation of young leaders."

The Malaysian minister noted the ASEAN Plus Young Leaders Summit aims at fulfilling the potentials of youth as the engine of growth, stability and unity for ASEAN.

In his keynote speech on the same occasion, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said ASEAN can only be advanced by supporting youth leaders, entrepreneurs, volunteers educators and community builders.

"Given that 65 percent of ASEAN population under the age of 35, the youth is the region's greatest asset and promise for the future."

"We continue to place our hopes and belief in you through the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program that Malaysia proposed and the ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corps that Brunei Started,"the deputy prime minister added.

The 27th Summit of ASEAN will be held here on Saturday and Sunday with the theme "Our people, Our Community, Our Vision."

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. It aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress and socio-cultural evolution among its members. Endit