28 July 2024

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): 2024 Promoting The Indo-Pacific Region as “An Oasis of Peace, Stability and Security”

Published: 01:10, July 28, 2024 | Updated: 02:15, July 28, 2024

ASEAN foreign ministers reaffirm community vision, centrality

By Prime Sarmiento in Hong Kong

(From left) Myanmar Foreign Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, Philippine Foreign Secretar Enrique Manalo, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Brunei Darussalam Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Cambodia Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, East Timor Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas and ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a group photo during the 57th Association of southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Plenary Meeting session in Vientiane, Laos, July 25, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded its 57th ministerial meeting by reaffirming the regional bloc’s commitment to the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, strengthening of ASEAN centrality and the promotion of peace, security and stability in the region.

The joint statement was signed July 27 in Vientianne, capital city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

The communique will lay the groundwork for the ASEAN Summit that will be held in the Laos from Oct 8 to 11. The Laos is this year’s rotating chair.

ASEAN’s foreign ministers have committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention the Law of the Sea, said its joint communique issued on July 27 at the end of its series of meetings.

Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith underscored the importance of maintaining ASEAN unity amidst global political upheavals at the meeting.

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Also, the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers' meeting, held in Vientiane on July 27, called for enhancing cooperation on ferry safety, counter-terrorism, combating transnational crime, and disaster reduction.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in her official X account (formerly Twitter) on the need to strengthen the ASEAN Regional Forum to do preventive diplomacy, through focusing on emerging challenges, reinforcing efforts to ensure maritime stability and ensuring ARF remains an inclusive process.
ASEAN foreign ministers have reaffirmed the importance of the ARF as the “leading regional security forum” in the Asia-Pacific region for fostering constructive dialogue and cooperation among its participants.

Laos' Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith (center) delivers his speech during the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, July 25, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, said ASEAN’s joint statement has reaffirmed the importance of peace and security in the region.

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Mustafa said the statement is aligned with the “ASEAN ethos” which adheres to international law and UN conventions, supports the diplomatic resolution of conflicts, advocates for the protection of civilians in the spirit of humanitarianism, and focuses on sustaining global peace.

James Chin, professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said the ASEAN statement has revealed the group’s concern over the Myanmar crisis and the tension between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea.

ASEAN foreign ministers said that they will continue to adhere to ASEAN Leaders’ Five-Point Consensus (5PC) as the “main reference” to address the Myanmar crisis.

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“We recognized the strategic importance of our region for our peace, security, stability, and prosperity, as well as for those of our external partners,” the ministers said in a statement.

The ministers also commended Alounkeo Kittikhoun, the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, “for his efforts since his appointment in early 2024 as we continue to promote progress in the implementation of the 5PC in its entirety. We appreciated his efforts to continue reaching out to parties concerned in a sustainable manner and are confident in his resolve to help the people of Myanmar to achieve an inclusive and durable peaceful resolution that is Myanmar-owned and -led for peace, security and stability in the region.”

ASEAN ministers have likewise committed to upholding regionalism and multilateralism and stressed on the importance of adhering to key principles, shared values and norms enshrined in the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter, the Declaration on Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the 1982 UNCLOS, the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, the 2011 Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the region needs to remain as “an oasis of peace, stability and security”, according to a report published by The Straits Times.

“We reiterated our commitment to intensifying our work towards a people-oriented, people-centered, and rules-based ASEAN, and continued to encourage the meaningful participation of the people, societies and other stakeholders in the ASEAN Community-building process,” the joint communique said.

Moreover ASEAN has

urged for the peaceful and non-militarized resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,
condemned attacks against civilians and public infrastructure in Gaza;
called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in both Gaza and Ukraine.