KUALA LUMPUR - Foreign ministers of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday highlighted ASEAN centrality and strong leadership in the bloc's development and its engagement with outside parties.

"The ASEAN centrality should remain at the core of all initiatives and ASEAN must provide strong leadership and map ASEAN' s future directions collectively, especially in engagement with dialogue partners and other external parties," Malaysian Foreign Minister AnifahAman, who chaired the 17th ASEAN Coordinating Meeting ahead of the leaders' summit, told the press.

The establishment of the ASEAN Community will help further enhance ASEAN as an outward-looking regional bloc while maintaining centrality in the evolving regional architecture, Anifah said.

ASEAN has been known for being a platform which works by building on consensus so that it is comfortably acceptable to all parties involved.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,  Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

It is agreed that the most significant achievement of the community-building process is the willingness of the 10 member countries that commit to a single vision and future together.

The ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children which was endorsed by the 13th ASEAN Political- Security Community Council Meeting on Friday will be signed by ASEAN leaders on Saturday, Anifah said. (Xinhua)