ASEAN stands as one on East Sea

Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong announced ASEAN’s six-point principles in Phnom Penh on July 20. ASEAN’s foreign ministers reaffirmed the commitments made by ASEAN’s member countries to the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (2002), the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (2011) and the early conclusion of a Regional Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

ASEAN member countries have also pledged to fully respect the universally recognised principles of International Law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also vowed the continued exercise of self-restraint and non-use of force by all parties and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The statement lays a firm foundation for relevant parties to respect with the conduct in the East Sea and affirms that all violations against these principles will affect ASEAN. The ASEAN foreign ministers resolve to intensify ASEAN consultations in the advancement of the above principles, consistent with the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (1976) and the ASEAN Charter (2008).

This statement came after the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-45) and related meetings, which was concluded on July 13, 2012 without a joint communiqué being issued due to differences on the mention of the dispute in the East Sea.

Hor Namhong said the statement was the outcome of consultations between ASEAN’s foreign ministers after Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa had diplomatic work with his ASEAN counterparts, including direct meetings with the foreign ministers of Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, to reach a consensus on their common positions on this issue.

At the AMM-45 and related meetings, Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh raised Vietnam’s concern over recent complications in the East Sea, voiced the opposition against the establishment of Sansha city and the international invitation for bids at nine lots within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and affirmed the necessity to comply with international laws, especially UNCLOS and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).