Asia will be playing an increasingly central role in the major political balances of our planet, in line with its growing role in international trade and the knowledge economy. Our relations go far back in history, and are founded on shared experience over the years. Thirty years after the founding act of Asean, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia was signed in Bali. France has adhered to this treaty. It is my wish to be present in Cebu, in the Philippines, where this major organisation is to hold its summit. This visit follows on from that of the President of the French republic to Thailand, in February of last year, during which this major decision was announced.

This gesture bears witness to France's friendship and fraternity with the member countries of Asean, with which France has long maintained strong and special relations. Through this gesture, France intends to show that to ensure Asia's stability, we need to acknowledge the role of all players on the continent: China, India and Japan, but also the regional organisations. With its 550 million inhabitants, Southeast Asia is currently one of the most dynamic regions in the world. France cannot remain on the sidelines of this new geopolitical landscape.

At the dawn of the 21st century, a share of the future of France and its European partners is being played out in Southeast Asia. Asean countries are facing major challenges that lead to global destabilisation: poverty and development divides, terrorism, acts of piracy, pandemics and emerging infectious diseases. In a globalised world, these issues have an impact on peace and security - they know no borders, and no legal boundaries. A third of world trade transits via the Malacca strait; practically three times as much oil transits through this region as through the Suez Canal. More than just a far horizon, today, Southeast Asia is a vital link in globalised trade and in political relationships between states.

France's policy in this region is focused on two priorities: supporting economic and political development, and strengthening integration in a broader continent-based unit that will enable humanitarian or economic crises to be met head on. This is what has led France, on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to give priority to a regional cooperation policy. Our commitment in Southeast Asia is therefore part of a broader integration approach in order to encourage sustainable development and political stability in these countries. Therefore, France is particularly proud to be the first European Union country to adhere to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. We are however convinced that a European Union partnership with Southeast Asia is the sole way to attain full effectiveness. France has long been convinced that the European Union possesses the necessary legitimacy to take its rightful place in the various forums for cooperation and dialogue in Asia. In order to better organise and better control the effects of globalisation, it is important to promote a new balance between several zones, to guarantee global stability.

The realities of international trade speak in favour of this approach. From a political perspective, the European Union participated in the observation mission for the Aceh peace agreement in Indonesia alongside Asean countries. This mission, that mobilised 128 European Union observers, contributed to resolving a long-standing and bloody conflict. The development of this cooperation and a dialogue based on trust between Asean and the EU will also foster progress in the democratisation processes underway in complex and multi-ethnic societies. The persistence of the "Burma question" and the recent coup in Thailand are illustrations of the ground we still need to cover in these areas.

France's adhesion to the Asean Treaty of Amity and Cooperation is therefore set to serve a new ambition for Euro-Asian relations. Founded on the importance of dialogue, confident in the capacities of regional organisations, guaranteed by the respect for the principles of multilateralism, it aims to be egalitarian and balanced. In many respects, a new architecture in terms of the relationships between powers is being built with this close and regular cooperation between regional zones of stability such as the European Union and Asean. France intends to fulfil its role to the full in this "diplomacy of equilibrium".

Catherine Colonna is the minister delegate for European Affairs (France).

Catherine Colonna

Special to The Nation

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