THE member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) are facing increasing transnational problems that could undermine the peace and stability of the region, President Marcos said on Thursday.
President Marcos cited the unilateral actions in the East and South China Seas as among the risks.
“The common problems in our region are increasingly transnational in nature. Unilateral actions in the East and in the South China Sea continue to undermine peace and stability in the region,” President Marcos said during the 27th ASEAN-Japan Summit in Laos.
In his speech, the President urged fellow leaders to remain resolute in addressing these challenges.
“We, therefore, must remain steadfast in our responsibility, building on mutual trust, in upholding maritime security and cooperation, territorial integrity, disarmament, and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” he said.
President Marcos also commended Japan’s commitment to partnering for peace and stability through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
The ARF is a platform dedicated for security dialogues in the Indo-Pacific region, where members develop cooperative measures to mitigate the impacts of compounding crises and enhance peace and security.
Established in 1994, the ARF comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia, United States, Bangladesh, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
On the other hand, the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus is a dialogue platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States—collectively referred to as the “Plus Countries.” The group aims to strengthen security and defense cooperation among member states.
“The Philippines looks forward to advancing our partnership through our Co-Chairing of the ADMM Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security for 2024 to 2027,” the President said.
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