This is the 5th time ASEAN has issued a statement on maritime issues since 1995. (Photo: asean.org) Inthe statement, the ministers said they closely follow with concern the recentdevelopments in the East Sea and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining andpromoting peace, safety, security, stability, and freedom of navigation in andoverflight above the maritime sphere of Southeast Asia, particularly the EastSea.
“Wealso reaffirm the need to restore and enhance mutual trust and confidence aswell as exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that wouldcomplicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, avoid actionsthat may further complicate the situation and pursue peaceful resolution ofdisputes in accordance with the universally recognised principles ofinternational law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,” wrote the statement.
The FMs underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation ofthe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in its entiretyand committed to working towards the early conclusion of an effective andsubstantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is in accordance withinternational law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.
Theyalso reiterated the importance of peaceful dialogue that contributesconstructively to the promotion of regional stability and cooperation in themaritime domain. Welcoming the recent holding of a maritime dialogue betweenChina and the US in Beijing and the meeting between US President Joe Biden andChinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting inCalifornia, they hoped that such dialogues will continue to further ASEAN’sefforts to strengthen stability and cooperation in the region’s maritimesphere.
This is the 5th time ASEAN has issued a statement on maritime issues since1995, with the most recent statement on the East Sea released in 2014./.
VNA
