In the first four years of the 21st century, Asian countries presented their different progress in economic field. In general, Asian countries experienced an adequate economic growth after, with different parameter of success, they came out from the economic crisis occurred in the region in the last years of 1990s.

A main factor needed by Asian countries to move their real economic sector and to eventually increase their economic growth, is investment. In the meantime, various factors have been costly improved and built to create an interesting and a conducive situation for the investors. Significantly, the improvements of economic infrastructure, such as transportation, energy, electricity, telecommunication have been conducted. On the other hand, security and law enforcement in response with national demand has been further conducively developed for the interest of foreign investment.

The forum of conference of Asian political parties’ leaders needs therefore to exploit ideas, to contribute, and to encourage our countries to cooperate in developing investments from countries in this regions. Moreover, there is huge potential of investments from countries like South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. This similar condition can also be seen in trade, where there is a higher trade volume and value amongst Asian and European countries and the US comparing to amongst Asian countries.

This does not mean that we can change the situation automatically because economic reality and its theories will simultaneously works. We however need to encourage cooperation to develop and rise the flow of commodity, volume, and trade value amongst Asian countries. Beside, considering that most of the countries are exporters with similar commodities, the effort to increase cooperation has to be carried out by preserving the quality of products, their delivery, and prices. Such cooperation must be however avoided from becoming cartel, which gives disadvantages to the buyers, as well as producing the victims of competition, which will sacrifice producers.

Terrorism is a crime against humanity that must be consistently handled and further rooted out. The war on terrorism must be begun by confronting all chances, which supports the emergence and the fast development of terrorism, such as poverty, backwardness, and social injustice in very country. The total war on terrorism must be however conducted by holding cooperation, regionally and internationally, by cutting off its connections and international networks, and by confronting comprehensively other related crimes, such as money laundering, smuggling, illicit weapons and narcotics trades.

That is why, regional cooperation in security field becomes important, either in form of making measures contributing to the increase of friendship and confidence building, or in form of making policies and laws to earlier prevent the breeding and growing of various organized transnational crimes. In this context, the efforts include actions to prevent and guarantee our national territory from illegally being a base, part of networking, the hideouts, or operational bases for those crimes against humanity. Also, joint exercise and patrols, amongst coastal states and their close neighbors must be increased.

The basic principle or value of ASEAN, comprising of cooperation in economic, social, security, and political fields, to create peace, stability, security, development, and welfare, can be also used as reference for other Asian countries beyond the ASEAN. We believe that stable regional peace, stability, and security become conducive factor and an incentive for stimulating economic growth and people welfare of countries in the region. Therefore, we all, in particular, political parties’ leaders gathering at this important forum, need to encourage regional cooperation in the fields of security, politics, economy, and social. Such regional cooperation will surely continue to develop upheld by the existing bilateral relation and cooperation amongst countries in the region. For this reason, bilateral relation and cooperation must be augmented based on the principle of friendship, brotherhood, and mutual benefit. Bear in mind that a regional cooperation is another sort of wider bilateral cooperation.

The attempt to augment friendship and cooperation amongst Asian countries has its significant moment and conducive opportunity in the last decade. We know that tensions and conflicts amongst Asian countries, especially military clashes which produced regional instability and people’s suffering, for example, the last one, Cambodian conflict, have been disappeared since long time. Aside from this, democratic life is more developed in Asian region. It provides moreover a good opportunity to be improved due to the fact that a developing democracy will lead to a developing of creativity and the dynamics of a pluralistic society. This will positively contribute to the development of people’s welfare in accordance with their state’s independence and sovereignty.

No doubt, political party must keep on augmenting, reforming, and improving its quality so that it becomes a democratic means for leaders training, and for the development of qualified, integrated, and people-oriented ideas. Understandably, only qualified and people-oriented leaders and programs will always be selected by people in every regular and democratic general election. Likewise, only political party which has a democratic and an open management, and a strong commitment to their people’s aspiration, basic culture, and ideology, can be able to produce leaders and ideas which can be accepted by their people.

A country can be strong and advanced if it is upheld by qualified, and integrated political parties with their strong and realistic commitment to people. Additionally, political parties have to widely open their horizons, including taking lesson from experiences of other political parties in different countries. Of course, forum such as ICAPP becomes an important means for political party’s leaders to communicate each other or exchange views, broaden horizon, and to give positive thoughts for enhancing relations, friendships, and cooperation amongst nations and states. We need together for this reason to succeed this Third International Conference of Asian Political parties.