The EAS, the regional leader-led platform for strategic dialogue, comes after the 34th Asean Summit announced the Indo-Pacific outlook. Mr Sirasak expressed concerns about the relevance of the bloc's Indo-Pacific outlook. The bloc's Indo-Pacific outlook is a political statement. Meanwhile, Former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty M Natalegawa commended Thailand for its contribution to the bloc's evolution and the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which appears in the bloc's Indo-Pacific Outlook, can be used to assert Asean centrality, he added.

Source: Bangkok Post July 01, 2019 22:52 UTC