ASEAN countries want to continue the strong growth without confrontation and instability in the region, Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of the 10-country regional organization said on Thursday.

"Our hope is that we are not going to invite confrontation, competition, instability and insecurity as it has been in the case in other parts of the world,"as the world is recognizing Southeast Asia as a new center of growth, Surin said.

"When competition comes, instability and insecurity come," he said.

ASEAN groups Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, which Surin described as "a moderate force in the region and global arena".

The ASEAN secretary general was speaking at the "International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates" in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.

The 3-day conference, which is ending on Thursday, has drawn scholars, diplomats and government officials from 70 countries to talk about moderation, a concept vigorously advocated by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Rzazk, as he urged world leaders to combat extremists for world peace in his maiden speech at the UN general assembly in 2010.