EU wants ASEAN ties to be elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by 2027

He said the upcoming 50th anniversary of EU-ASEAN relations in 2027 presents a timely opportunity to strengthen collaboration by addressing shared challenges such as climate change, ocean protection and technological transformation.

He said this includes exploring new areas of cooperation in digitalisation, security and education.

"Our partnership is long-term and strategic. Together, we can build a future of peace, prosperity, and stability. You can count on the European Union as a reliable, predictable and trustworthy partner.

"We wish you a successful summit and look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of EU-ASEAN relations in 2027," he said in his remarks at the 47th ASEAN Summit (Plenary) and the Handover Ceremony of the Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) here today.

Costa said the EU is proud to engage with ASEAN as a reliable partner amid today's shifting geopolitical landscape.

"We live in a multipolar world marked by growing fragmentation and uncertainty, and so it is therefore crucial that we weave a global network of cooperation across regions, that we strengthen our partnership," he said.

He added that the EU is ASEAN's third-largest trading partner and its third-largest investor, with deeply interlinked economies that continue to generate opportunities, growth, and stability.

The European Council President also said the EU and ASEAN need to secure supply chains, diversify partnerships, promote sustainable trade, and build resilience in critical sectors.

Costa said EU has just concluded a Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia, its third such agreement with an ASEAN member, following earlier agreements with Singapore and Vietnam, while negotiations with Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia are progressing well.

He said the EU's reaffirmed its support at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels for key regional connectivity projects, including the ASEAN Power Grid, in line with the Malaysian Chairmanship's theme of 'Inclusivity and Sustainability.'

Costa said the EU-ASEAN partnership is also rooted in shared security interests, particularly maritime security, and a joint commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific grounded in international law.

Both regions, he said, share a commitment to multilateralism, the rules-based international order and the principles of United Nations Charter.

He said international law must prevail, reaffirming the EU's commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and to protecting the sovereignty of all nations.

Meanwhile, Costa congratulated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his leadership in brokering the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand in July, adding that it is a demonstration of ASEAN's commitment to peace stability and dialogue.

He also congratulated Anwar on the successful chairmanship of ASEAN this year and expressed appreciation on the Prime Minister's invitation to the EU to participate at the Summit for the first time.

In addition, Costa congratulated ASEAN on the inclusion of Timor-Leste as its 11th member state, calling it an important milestone in fostering Timor-Leste's economic and political interdependence and in strengthening regional integration.

The 47th ASEAN Summit, which began today to Oct 28 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, brings together ASEAN leaders and their dialogue partners, including the United States, China, Japan and India (attending virtually), in what is expected to be the largest ASEAN gathering since the bloc's inception in 1967.

This year marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing ASEAN, following previous chairmanships in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.

-- BERNAMA