Lao officials say misunderstanding and misconception of one another among the peoples of the 10-ASEAN member nations are major factors hindering the integration of the Southeast Asia grouping, which has been set at 2020.
Laos' Information Minister made the comment during an ASEAN meeting hosted by Vientiane recently. He urged fellow ASEAN members to work toward improving the understanding among the peoples of all member nations so that the Vientiane Declaration, adopted during the 10th ASEAN summit in 2004, can be successfully implemented.
ASEAN includes Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, and Cambodia.
Listen to our Laos Today audio report for further details.