Regional cooperation is one of the factors that shapes economy of any country. The awareness of the importance of this cooperation is one of the backgrounds for the establishment of regional cooperation organizations such as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is a regional organization that accommodates Southeast Asian countries to enhance economic and security cooperation. ASEAN consists of 10 member countries, including Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, and Singapore – although Timor Leste is slated to become 11th member. On the other hand, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) accommodates 6 Middle Eastern economies. As one of the largest economic blocks in the world, ASEAN cooperates with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and other GCC member countries in the spheres of economy, trade, as well as cultural exchange. Although trade and investment activities between ASEAN and Gulf Arab countries have been carried out since the 1970s, the relationship between ASEAN and the GCC was only established in 1990 through the first contact between ASEAN and the GCC. At that time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman,
Yousuf Bin Alawi as Chairman of the GCC Council of Ministers expressed the GCC’s desire to establish formal relations with ASEAN….
