Chairman's Summary of the Inaugural Asia-Middle East Dialogue: Common interests and common challenges, Shanri-la Hotel, 20-22 June 2005

Ministers

Your Excellencies
Distinguished Participants
Ladies and Gentlemen

1 I had the privilege of making the opening statement yesterday morning. It is now my responsibility to summarise the important work we have done over the last two days and to bring AMED I to a conclusion.

Reports by Moderators of the Nine Panels

2 The nine panel discussions were very successful. They were substantive and constructive. Because of the shortage of time, there were no question and answers sessions at our plenary meetings. Participants were therefore pleased to have had the opportunity to exchange views and interact with one another in the panels. The nine moderators kept the discussions focussed and were able to arrive, by consensus, on points of convergence and specific suggestions. The reports of the moderators will be attached to my summation. I will therefore not repeat what is contained in the moderators' reports. Instead, I will try to capture the most important points which were made during the plenary sessions, at our two lunches and at the dinner hosted by the Foreign Minister of Singapore. In the process, I am sure I will have forgotten to record some important points which some of you have made. I ask for your forgiveness in advance. I am sure you understand and sympathise with me as I had to write this summary under tremendous pressure of time.
AMED's Historical Underpinning

3 At the Istana dinner last evening, the Foreign Minister of Singapore, George Yeo gave us both a culinary and an intellectual treat. He reminded us that AMED has embarked on a journey of re-discovery and not of discovery. The reason is that ties between our two regions go back to at least the 8th century. Fortunately for us, our past encounters were happy ones and we carry no baggage from history which could complicate our new encounter which is opening up exciting opportunities. Once again, as Minister Yeo said, traders, scholars, religious leaders and adventurers are travelling from east to west and from west to east. Our goal in AMED is to facilitate this flow.
AMED's Economic Underpinning

4 In his speech to us at lunch yesterday, Singapore's Education Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam shared with us his valuable insights into the economic underpinning of AMED. Let me try to summarise his most important points. Asia and the Middle East are two economically dynamic regions with good potential. Both regions are on an upward trajectory of growth, with Asia growing at a trend line of 7.5% and the Middle East at 5%. Growth in the two regions is being propelled by our abundant natural resources, our growing domestic demand and by the aspirations of our young. Financially, the fundamentals are also favourable. The savings rates in Asia are expected to remain in the region of 35-40% of GDP. The savings rates in the Middle East are expected to average about 32% of GDP in the coming years. In 2004, Asia's current account surplus was 6% of GDP and that of the Middle East was even higher at 14%. Asia's official foreign currency reserves exceed US$2 trillion, far exceeding those of Europe and US combined. In 2004, the oil revenues of the Middle East exceed US$180 billion. There are many opportunities for cooperation between our two regions in the management of our surplus savings and reserves, in wealth management, in the financing of infrastructure development and the expansion of our banking and financial services.
Message from King Abdullah II

5 In his keynote speech, King Abdullah II said that a regional renaissance was knocking on the doors of the Middle East and they must answer that call. To achieve that renaissance, we need regional stability, reform in the region's political, economic, administrative and legal systems, a vibrant private sector, human resource development, and a new accord between the government and the people. The King called for a political environment based on freedom, representation and good governance. The King also commended us to the message of the Nobel Laureates which gathered recently at the ancient city of Petra. The message is that education is the necessary engine of change.
Managing Political and Security Challenges in Asia and the Middle East

6 In the first plenary session on politics and security, we were enlightened by three speakers: (i) Deputy Foreign Minister Dato' Joseph Salang Gandum, speaking on behalf of the Malaysian Foreign Minister; (ii) Ambassador Dr Muhammad Shaaban of Egypt; and (iii) HH Prince Dr Torki Bin Saud Al-Kabir of Saudi Arabia.

7 The Malaysian Foreign Minister said that AMED can contribute to the following three areas:

(i) strengthening the global normative framework governing state behaviour and inter-state relations;

(ii) promoting inter-faith dialogue and understanding; and

(iii) adopting a multilateral approach to countering international terrorism and complementing other regional efforts.

8 Ambassador Dr Muhammad Shaaban's most important points are the following:

(i) peace, development, stability and security are interrelated and inseparable;

(ii) the people of the Middle East yearn for peace and Egypt has worked very hard and continue to work hard for the cause of a just settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis; and

(iii) the West should not impose its unilateral "initiatives" for reform or the promotion of democracy and human rights on the Middle East. These initiatives can only succeed it they are "owned" by the governments and peoples of the region and take into account the history, culture, context and circumstances of each country in the region.

9 Prince Torki's most important contributions to our discussion are the following:

(i) terrorism is a global challenge. Terrorism should not be wrongly associated with any religion, ethnic group, country or region. It is a global scourge which has assaulted countries in all parts of the world, including Saudi Arabia. He said that the world should join hands to fight against this scourge which is against every value and principle of Islam;

(ii) the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects any attempt by foreign countries to impose its notions of democracy and human rights on it. However, the Kingdom has embarked on its own agenda for reform, such as, the National Dialogue project, expanding the membership and authority of the Consultative Council and holding Municipal elections; and
(iii) Saudi Arabia is committed to fulfilling its obligation to maintain the stability of the petroleum market and has initiated the establishment of the Energy Forum as the platform to promote dialogue and cooperation between the oil producing and consuming countries.
Deepening Economic Engagement between Asia and the Middle East

10 The second plenary session was on economic issues. They were four distinguished speakers. The first speaker was the Foreign Minister of Oman, Mr Yusuf bin Alawi Abdullah. He made the following salient points:

(i) the Middle East and Asia have long and historic ties. There are no fundamental political or cultural differences between us. There is therefore good potential for the two regions to achieve a deeper dialogue and better understanding of each other. This will pave the way to greater economic cooperation between us;

(ii) Oman has very strong bilateral ties with Singapore and there are numerous Singapore companies operating in Oman. He said that the good cooperation between the two countries could be viewed as an exampler of cooperation between countries from the two regions; and

(iii) Oman has taken steps to improve is economic competitiveness and its investment climate. Oman seeks to deepen its cooperation with other GCC countries, as well as with countries such as China, India, Pakistan and Turkey and groups such as the EU and Mercosur.

11 The second speaker was Minister Abdelhamid Temmar of Algeria. He made the following important points:

(i) the countries of North Africa, also known as the Maghreb, was a significant economic entity, consisting of 80 million people, two major oil and gas producing countries (Algeria and Libya) as well as countries such as Morocco and Tunisia which have strengths in agriculture, tourism and services; and

(ii) Algeria is presently not on the mental maps of Asian business leaders. Few Asians are aware of Algeria's sound macroeconomic policies, of its transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, of its privatisation programme and of its major investments in infrastructure.

12 The third speaker was Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore. He made the following points:

(i) the economies in the Middle East like those in Asia were experiencing exceptional growth. We are therefore dealing with two buoyant economies which offer many opportunities to each other;

(ii) economic partnerships such as Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were an effective means to increase trade and investment and could also serve as a bridge between the two regions; and

(iii) Singapore and Qatar have recently launched an initiative, called "Qatar-Singapore Connect", to serve as a platform for networking and to facilitate and intensify cooperation between their two private sectors.

13 The fourth speaker was Dr Bassem Awadallah of Jordan. In an unusually frank appraisal of the Middle East, Dr Awadallah said that all Arab economies needed fundamental reform, that the level of economic cooperation between the regional countries was minimal and that the private sector needed to be empowered. Dr Awadallah's most important point was that AMED should foster private sector cooperation between the two regions. He cited the Arab Business Council as an important interlocuter.
The Role of Culture and Religion in National Development: Perceptions from Asia and the Middle East

14 The third plenary session was on social, educational, scientific, cultural and media issues. The session had three distinguished speakers: Dr Mohammad Jassim Al Ghatam of Bahrain, Dr Kanthathi Suphamongkhon, the Foreign Minister of Thailand, and Dr Ahmed Kamal Aboul Magd of Egypt.

15 The first speaker, Dr Al Ghatam, made the following points:

(i) culture is the fruit of human civilization, in both material and non-material forms. What is the status of culture in contemporary Arab society? There is a positive trend to shift through heritage and tradition in order to maintain its essence and to abandon the non-essential aspects. This critical assessment of culture and heritage is what we need today;

(ii) all the great religions of the world share three things in common: (a) uphold the dignity of the human being; (b) reject discrimination based on race, colour, etc.; and (c) the universe is one;

(iii) culture, religion and development are not incompatible. Indeed, they could reinforce each other; and

(iv) our progress and cooperation should be based upon six components: (a) an enlightened model of political governance; (b) a culture of dialogue, tolerance and interaction; (c) education reform; (d) promotion of economic development; (e) a responsible media; and (f) religion.

16 The second speaker, Dr Kantathi said:

(i) Thailand has been seeking to strengthen links between Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East through the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), which has 28 members;

(ii) globalisation brings us many benefits but it also increases the gaps and disparities both within and between countries;

(iii) Thailand does not tolerate discrimination based on culture and religion and is seeking to restore peace in its southern provinces through dialogue and reconciliation;

(iv) the voice of true Islam is a voice of moderation as examplified, for example, in the Amman Message; and

(v) let us at AMED, draw strength from our diversity and promote a culture of peace and tolerance.

17 The third speaker, Dr Kamal Aboul Magd treated us to an extemporaneous exposition on the roles of culture and religion. He said:

(i) there is an attempt in the West to demonise Islam and the Arabs and Muslims have not done a good job to point out the falsehood and to present the true face of Islam;

(ii) in Islam as in other religions, there is a main stream and there are fringe groups. The extreme positions of the fringe groups should not be attributed to Islam;

(iii) Islam is pro-development and, contrary to some misunderstanding, not anti-development;

(iv) it is wrong for the West to refer to the "Judeo-Christian" heritage instead of the "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" heritage because all three religions come from the same source and revere the same prophets; and

(v) Islam is a religion of peace and not of violence.
Strengthening Cooperation for Mutual Benefit

18 Mr Ma Zhengang, the President of the China Institute of International Studies, has made an important contribution in his speech at lunch today. He put forward the following four proposals:

(i) to respect and support each other politically;

(ii) to conduct practical economic cooperation for mutual benefit and for win-win results;

(iii) to learn from one another culturally for our common progress; and

(iv) to conduct dialogue and consultation based upon equality and mutual trust on security issues.
Education

19 I would like to say a few words about education. I was struck by the emphasis given by King Abdullah, by the Nobel Laureates in Petra, and by Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, to the importance of education. The development experience of Asia shows that there is a positive correlation between investment in education and economic development. The right to education is indeed one of the most important human rights. We also live in a world in which knowledge and creativity are two of the most important assets of a country. We must therefore educate all of our people not just some of our people. We must educate them well by reforming our education system, and curriculum and our pedagogy. The emphasis must be, not on rote-learning, but on cultivating every child's thinking skills. Education should also be a continuing process throughout one's life. In view of the importance of education, at all levels, I hope that AMED countries would help each other in the field of education and training, both vocational and professional.

Our Common Challenges

20 Although our countries are located in two different regions of the world and at different levels of economic development, we do, however, face many common challenges. Let me mention some of them:

(i) the challenge of globalisation;

(ii) the challenge of regionalisation;

(iii) how to educate our young boys and girls to become productive citizens and ensure that they have the skills to compete in a rapidly changing and globalising world?;

(iv) how to uplift the lives of all our citizens by creating opportunities for education, employment and cultural and spiritual growth?;

(v) how do we evolve a stable and responsive political system, appropriate to our specific histories, cultures and circumstances?; and

(vi) how do we achieve modernity without losing our unique history, identity or heritage?

AMED I's Modest Objectives

21 There is an Arab and Asian proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step. We have taken the first step and we are heading in the right direction. Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has set for us four modest objectives for this meeting. What are his four objectives?

22 First, to close the knowledge gap between our two regions and to increase better mutual understanding between the peoples of the two regions. This is an objective which must be on-going. Speaking for myself, I am much more knowledgeable about Algeria and the Maghreb than I was before yesterday.

23 Second, to erase negative stereotypes of each other. Such stereotype result from ignorance, prejudice and distorted reporting. Unfortunately, we rely almost exclusively on the Western media for our information and knowledge of each other. I urge Asian media companies to consider establishing bureaux in the Middle East and vice versa.

24 Third, we can share our experiences in political, economic and cultural development. We can learn from each other's success stories. We should seek to emulate each other's best practices. We should draw inspiration from each other's achievements. I think we have made a beginning towards this end.

25 Fourth, to come up with a few ideas for tangible and concrete collaboration for our mutual benefit. I think we have achieved this objective in the reports of our nine panels.

The Working Groups

26 The good ideas we have generated, the concrete recommendations contained in the reports of the panel discussions will be followed up. As I told you yesterday, the Steering Committee has established three open-ended working groups, which will meet between AMED I and AMED II. The working groups on politics and security will be co-chaired by Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The working group on economics will be co-chaired by Thailand and Egypt. The working group on social, educational, cultural, scientific and media issues will be co-chaired by Singapore and Jordan.

AMED's Future

27 The future of AMED is assured. AMED II will meet in Egypt in 2007. AMED III will meet in Thailand in 2009. AMED IV will meet in Saudi Arabia in 2011. Bahrain has offered to host a future meeting.

28 It is perhaps fitting that in the last plenary session, Prof Ahmed Kamal Aboul Magd gave us a few golden rules for a meaningful dialogue, which we should bear in mind:

(i) Dialogue should be a two-way traffic and not an attempt to convert the other;

(ii) There would always be differences among different cultures;

(iii) No one should entertain the belief that he/she monopolises wisdom or a sense of cultural superiority. Every culture has something to offer; and

(iv) Dialogue is not about proving the other wrong, but about finding and focussing on areas of commonalities.

29 Finally, I echo Prof Magd's call for AMED to go beyond generalities and take concrete action to improve people-to-people, business and other links between Asia and the Middle East.