ASEAN, which will celebrate its 41st anniversary on Aug 8, has come a long way since its establishment, said Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, the secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry, yesterday.

He said the grouping's 10 member countries had been able to conduct their meetings in a friendly and co-operative manner.

Rastam, however, admitted that there were many challenges in maintaining Asean's credibility.

"These challenges make it more important for Asean to develop co-operation not only within Asean but also with other countries."

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will open the Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) tomorrow,
He said among the main issues to be discussed would be the early ratification of the Asean Charter, which was a constitution of sorts for the Southeast Asian grouping.

"We expect the charter to be ratified before the Asean Summit in December."

Rastam said Myanmar was expected to give a briefing on the political situation in the country and various issues relating to Cyclone Nargis.

Thailand is also expected to update member states on its preparations for the Asean Summit, which will be held in Bangkok.

Thailand will also be hosting next year's Asean Ministerial Meeting.

The charter was drafted by the Asean Eminent Persons Group at the 12th Asean Summit in Cebu last year.

One of the proposals is the removal of the non-interference policy, which had been a central philosophy of the regional grouping since its formation in the 1960s.

Of the 10 Asean member countries, only Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have yet to ratify the document, which will also establish the grouping as a legal body.

At this year's AMM, apart from the 10 member countries, others participating are the grouping's 10 dialogue partners -- Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States -- and observers, which comprise Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Bangla-desh and Sri Lanka.