FOREIGN ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) have expressed concern about prevailing developments in Asia and nearby regions.
The ministers aired their sentiment during a meeting in Belgium for talks on current relations between the two regional blocs.
They tackled among others developments and the situation in the highly-contested South China Sea, which is being claimed in parts by five ASEAN members; the political situation in junta-ruled Myanmar; North Korea’s ballistic missile launches; the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan; and the wars between Israel and Hamas, and Ukraine and Russia.
In a nine-page joint statement, the 37 foreign ministers from the ASEAN and EU also called for respect of inte national law; condemned the acts of violence related to such developments; urged North Korea to stop its missile launches; and asked for unhindered access to the delivery of basic needs and humanitarian assistance to all regions and all people affected by wars.
The ministers welcomed the progress of talks for the crafting of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea; reaffirmed their position that the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus is the main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar; and renewed their commitment to implement UN Security Council’s resolutions to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
They also called for a “durable ceasefire” in the Middle East and encouraged “further coordinated efforts from the international community to help address the crisis.”
“We urged all parties concerned to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict with a view to realising the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders in accordance with international law and the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions,” they said, in a
statement.
They said they took note of the order on provisional measures issued by interim ruling by the International Court of Justice on January 26, which demanded the
halting of acts of genocide.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, as
Country Coordinator for ASEAN-EU relations, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell co-chaired the 24th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting held on Feb. 2 in Brussels.
“We reaffirmed our Strategic Partnership and our shared interest in keeping our regions peaceful, stable, and prosperous, in upholding and respecting international law and the rules-based international order based on adherence to international law and in maintaining peace,
security and stability…” the joint statement read.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to continue conducting dialogue “to achieve peace and harmony in a diverse global community,” it added.
“We are committed to embrace the values of tolerance and moderation, and full respect of the cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity,” the foreign ministers said.