The timing of the two declarations was not a coincidence. Both simply articulated the burning desire and aspiration of our time. The search for peace resulted in various approaches and ways of thinking among the practitioners and scholars in this field. We understand cooperative peace as the opposite of a cold peace. It takes initiatives in building mutual confidence by undertaking cooperative activities not only to maintain order but also to promote development.
Cooperative peace is both a process and a goal.
It creates an environment conducive to development. In turn, development helps promote a lasting peace. Peaceful cooperation does not come about automatically as a function of regional organization. It evolves and flourishes in a certain environment. Cooperative peace in Southeast Asia aims to promote regional resilience based on the specific principles embodied in the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.