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SEAN leaders launched Bali Concord III on Thursday, setting up a roadmap for ASEAN’s greater role in “a global community of nations”.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Bali Concord III reflected ASEAN’s bigger participation in and contribution to solving global “fundamental problems”, including the ongoing Arab Spring, the spiraling eurozone economy, food, energy and water scarcities, climate change, natural disasters and the negative impacts of information technology revolution on citizens.

He said that ASEAN had become a more mature organization that was able to create regional stability and security, leverage its economic power, be more people-centered and that managed to maintain relationships between each another despite different identities and cultural backgrounds.

“With these modalities, I believe ASEAN is able to respond to global dynamics … ASEAN wants to play a bigger role … to reach out to the world,” he said in his speech before ASEAN leaders in the opening ceremony of the 19th ASEAN Summit.

Although there have been no open wars between ASEAN members since its establishment in 1967, border disputes between neighbors have several times raised tensions in the region.

A conflict between Cambodia and Thailand have led to repeated skirmishes along their border in the vicinity of three ancient temples — Preah Vihear, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey — claiming at least 23 lives earlier this year.

The 18th ASEAN Summit, which was held in Jakarta in May, concluded with barbed exchanges between then Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, prompting further negotiations between the two nations’ foreign ministers the following day with the Indonesian Foreign Minister as facilitator.

Also, Malaysian maritime police arrested three civil servants from the Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in waters disputed between the two countries in Tanjung Berakit, Riau Island province, after the latter arrested seven Malaysian fishermen for allegedly poaching and trespassing Indonesia’s territory. The fishermen reportedly faced extortion attempts by Indonesian officers.

The arrest of the Indonesian civil servants sparked a nationwide outrage although those arrested on both sides were later released without charges.

In order to play a greater role in “a global community of nations”, ASEAN needed to take “concrete steps” in ASEAN’s three pillars — politics and security, economy and socioculture — while involving all stakeholders, according to Yudhoyono.

He also said all countries in the region needed to strengthen their economic growth so the region would be more resilient to global economic volatility and could contribute to a more balanced global economy.

“I’m happy to tell you that ASEAN already has a roadmap to maintain economic growth, among other things, through connectivity projects between countries and regions,” he said.

He also said ASEAN needed to maintain its centrality in numerous meetings it held with dialogue partners, and be proactive in self-engagement in resolving “residual issues” to maintain security and stability in Southeast and East Asia.