MANILA: Indonesia has urged Asean to turn its commitments into tangible results through regional agreements and external partnerships, warning that the bloc faces a critical test of its credibility amid mounting geopolitical tensions.
The call came Tuesday as top diplomats from the 11 Asean member states gathered in Manila for a day of talks aimed at forging common positions ahead of meetings with external partners on Wednesday.
The discussions focused on a range of issues, including the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East, disputes in the South China Sea and the crisis in Myanmar.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said recent global crises had served as a grim reminder of the need to anticipate their consequences.
He told fellow foreign ministers that there could be no better time to demonstrate Asean’s ability to uphold its charter by safeguarding regional political, economic and social stability.
Speaking at the plenary session of the 59th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM), Sugiono pointed to the bold steps taken by the bloc at the Asean Summit in May, including the amendment of its charter to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member.
“Now, here in Manila, we face a more demanding question: Can Asean deliver on its promises?” Sugiono said.
The first official day of the AMM also brought several long-running regional challenges back to the forefront, with the conflict in the Middle East lending fresh urgency to their resolution.
As the conflict overshadowed Tuesday’s talks, Asean ministers emerged from a closed-door plenary with a joint statement expressing concern over its impact on the region’s economy, the safety of their nationals abroad and ongoing diplomatic efforts.
“We noted the ongoing initiatives, both at the regional and national levels, to promote measures to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of external shocks, and to support access to healthcare and basic services for our people, particularly [those] in vulnerable situations,” the joint statement said.
Indonesia also highlighted the long-delayed completion of the Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea, a document intended to govern conduct in one of the world’s most contested waterways.
The energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has exposed fresh vulnerabilities in Asean’s strategic resilience.
Concerns have emerged that the bloc’s leverage in negotiations with Beijing over the South China Sea may have weakened as member states increasingly turn to China for alternative energy supplies after disruptions to their primary sources caused by the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.
Data from Trade Data Monitor showed that the Philippines, this year’s Asean chair, more than doubled its imports of solar panels from China in the first five months of this year compared with the same period last year.
Sugiono said fulfilling Asean’s charter begins with preserving peace, stressing that negotiations on the COC must now reach the finish line.
“Our people have waited 24 years for rules at sea. They should not wait for another year,” Sugiono said, adding that a region governed by rules is stronger than one controlled by power.
The Myanmar crisis also returned to the agenda on Tuesday, with ministers devoting a retreat session to the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), Asean’s peace roadmap for Nay Pyi Taw.
Asean has recently stepped up its engagement with Myanmar, although divisions among member states over how to deal with the country’s military government have continued to frustrate efforts to forge a unified approach.
Speaking briefly to reporters after the retreat, Sugiono said many of the same issues had resurfaced during the session but noted that member states had put forward “progressive” views.
At a press briefing, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa P. Lazaro said the ministers had agreed to review how progress on the 5PC is measured and had considered possible reforms to Asean’s annual special envoy mechanism for Myanmar.
“We’re looking [to finish the review] by November’s leaders’ meeting,” she said.
The meeting will continue on Wednesday with Asean’s 11 dialogue partners, including the United States, China and Russia, as ministers revisit security, economic and geopolitical challenges from a broader regional perspective.- Jakarta Post/ANN
