Why I am grateful for Asean’s endless meetings

I remember 2011 well.

Indonesia was chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and I was serving as deputy foreign minister for Asean cooperation.

I learned a great deal, although if I had to summarise the experience in one word, I would say: meetings.

Asean members meet.

They talk.

They disagree.

They issue statements.

Then, quite remarkably, they meet again.

We meet in conference rooms, coffee shops and restaurants.

We speak by telephone and online.

And when matters become...