ASEAN Foreign Ministers Seek to End Middle East Hostilities
South-East Asian foreign ministers on Tuesday expressed serious concern over renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East and called for the immediate and complete cessation of hostilities.
The ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated this during their annual meeting in Manila.
“We are deeply concerned that these developments severely undermine the ongoing efforts of key mediators and diminish the prospects for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy.
“We call on all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint and avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation,“he said.
The ministers noted that the conflict has immediate and long-term effects on the region’s people, as well as trade, energy and food security.
They stressed the importance of maintaining “maritime safety and security, and upholding freedom of navigation in and over flight.
The ministers also called for the restoration of the “safe, unimpeded and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz.
ASEAN comprises 11 countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The Philippines currently holds the organisation’s rotating chairmanship.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma Theresa Lazaro stressed the need for the regional group to find a way forward together amid global upheavals and uncertainties.
“We must continue this journey together, because cooperation is no longer a choice – it is a strategic necessity. “In a fractured global landscape, no single nation can weather these storms alone,” she said.
Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State and his counterparts from Russia and China have announced their attendance at the multi-day meeting in Manila. It was initially unclear whether bilateral talks would also take place.
Aside from the Middle East conflict, the ministers were expected to discuss tensions in the South China Sea and developments in Myanmar.
Myanmar is a member of the group but has not been allowed to have political representation at ASEAN meetings since October 2021, following a military coup #ASEAN Foreign Ministers Seek to End Middle East Hostilities#
