Manila, May 11 -- Think-tank Stratbase Institute on Sunday night said the recent maritime cooperation declaration by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the proposal to establish the bloc's "maritime center" in the country will make waters in the region safer and more secure.

"These are significant steps toward strengthening regional maritime governance, safeguarding freedom of navigation, and reinforcing a rules-based order in the region," it added in a statement posted on its Facebook Page.

Stratbase was referring to the adoption of the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Maritime Cooperation and with it the intended establishment of the ASEAN Maritime Centre in the Philippines.

The declaration reaffirmed the ...