Special Coverage:
Wen Attends ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Vistis Brunei

In the process of building the ASEAN Community, culture can play a crucial role, an Indonesian minister said here on Thursday.

"Culture is ASEAN's common language. ASEAN countries share many similarities though differences remain. Mutual respect and understanding is the key to narrowing differences and realizing the goal of building an ASEAN community by 2015," said Marie Elka Pangestu, the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Industry at the press briefing on the underway ASEAN Fair, a cultural exhibition organized in commemoration of the 19th ASEAN Summit.

She said the ASEAN Fair was aimed to show the rich heritage of cultures of the ASEAN states and advance cultural exchanges within the region.

The ASEAN Fair was initiated by the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first ever of its kind in ASEAN history. It has attracted about 40,000 visitors up to now, 30 percent of them are foreigners.

"We recognize that the socio-cultural pillar of the ASEAN community needs a bit of uplifting including an outreach activity to the public because the vision of ASEAN is really a people- centric ASEAN," she said.

"ASEAN summit should not be just a gathering of senior officials, but should be more engaged with the people," she added.

In 2003, ASEAN leaders co-signed a joint declaration on ASEAN cooperation, or the Bali Concord II, approving the institution of ASEAN Community and its completion by 2020, which was however speeded up to 2015. The ASEAN Community will also be constituted by three correlated pillars: security community, economic community and socio-cultural community.