Singapore's Defence Minister, Teo Chee Hean, says the ASEAN Regional Forum has helped move discussions on regional security beyond simple exchange of views to finding cooperative solutions.
He also suggested its member countries work towards an ARF maritime security exercise.
Minister Teo was speaking at the opening of ARF's meeting on Maritime Security on Wednesday morning.
With the Malacca and Singapore Straits carrying as much as a quarter of the world's commerce and half of the world's oil, maritime security is a transnational issue.
Mr Teo said: "There is now clear agreement that maritime threats are very real and that international cooperation is needed to deal with them. More specifically, a regional consensus has been developing around three principles."
He said the first of these principles is that littoral states Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia would play the primary role in providing security in the regional waters.
Last year, the three countries launched coordinated patrols of the Malacca Strait.
The second is the support of other stakeholders, like the International Maritime Organisation and the shipping community.
Others include the Five Power Defence Arrangements, which has expanded its focus to deal with non-conventional maritime threats.
The third principle is the need for consultation and work within international law to develop new structures for multilateral cooperation.
And so, the forum is planning for an ARF maritime security exercise in the near future.
A Ministerial Declaration can be expected in the next round of ARF meeting to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, later this year. - CNA
There are just too many pirate attacks at Straits of Malacca