ASEAN announces six-point principle on East Sea
VGP – Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong announced the ASEAN’s six-point principle on the East Sea at a press conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on July 20.
He said ASEAN Foreign Ministers reaffirmed member countries’ commitment to:
1. The full observation of the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC);
2. The guidelines for the implementation of DOC;
3. Early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC);
4. Absolute respect for universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);
5. Pursuit of self-restraint and renunciation of the threat or the use of force among relevant parties;
6. Peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS.
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 announcement was made public after the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting failed to issue a joint communiqué due to differences on the mention of the dispute in the East Sea . The host country Cambodia refused to include in the document the fact that the Philippines and Vietnam raised the issue at the meetings.
The top Cambodian diplomat said this was the outcome of consultations between ASEAN’s Foreign Ministers after Indonesian FM Marty Natalegawa held diplomatic activities 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.
By Thuy Dung
