The East Sea issue will continue to be a focus in ASEAN’s 2013 agenda,
Brunei ’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mohamed Bolkiah has
stated.
His comment was made on April 11 at the
closing session of three ASEAN meetings including the ASEAN Foreign
Ministers’ Retreat, the 9th ASEAN Politics-Security Community Council
Meeting and the ASEAN Coordinating Council that were held in preparation
for the 22nd ASEAN Summit later this month.
The participants in these meetings asserted the importance of maintaining
peace, stability, mutual trust, cooperation and maritime security and
using peaceful solutions to territorial disputes in the East Sea
in conformity with the principles of recognised international laws,
including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982).
They
affirmed the need for all sides to refrain themselves from taking any
actions that can complicate or escalate tension in the region.
The
foreign ministers continued confirming ASEAN’s six-point principle on
the East Sea and the necessity to keep the momentum on dialogue
and consultation reached at the 19 th consultation of ASEAN and Chinese
senior officials.
Talking with the press at the end
of these meetings, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said
that the agreement to push ahead with negotiations on the Code of
Conduct (COC) in the East Sea with China is the most outstanding outcome
of the gathering.-VNA