The 19th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF 19) took place in Phnom Penh,Cambodia, on July 12 with the participation of 10 ASEAN members andthe bloc’s important partners.

Foreignministers attending the forum stressed the need to strengthen regionalefforts for common goals of peace, security, cooperation and developmentin the region.

According to the ministers, in the contextthat the region still has to face complicated developments as well asboth traditional and non-traditional security challenges, ASEAN and ARFshould show their active role, especially in pushing up the observanceof international law principles and standards, increasing dialogues andtrust building, and peacefully settling the disputes without usingviolence.

ASEAN and ARF should also uphold the roleof political-security cooperation tools in the region, such as theTreaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, the SoutheastAsia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration on the Conductof Parties in the East Sea (DOC), ARF and ASEAN Defence Ministers’Meeting Plus (ADMM+), for regional peace, stability, security andcooperation.

For the future of ARF, participants stressedthe forum needs to continue to effectively implement the Hanoi Plan ofAction to Implement the ARF Vision Statement 2020 and other cooperationareas, including disaster management, anti-terrorism and transnationalcrimes, marine security, non-proliferation of mass destruction weaponsand disarmament.

They said ARF should turncooperation to a new development period with combination of trustbuilding and preventive diplomacy for peace, stability and cooperationin the region.

The ministers stressed that ARF isan important part of the regional architecture, connects and supplementsother regional processes, such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit(EAS), ADMM+, in which ASEAN plays a central role.

Theyalso exchanged views on regional issues of common concern, including thesituation in Myanmar and the Korean peninsular.

They hailed the recent developments in Myanmar and the Government’sefforts to develop the country and unite the people as well as foreigncountries’ improvement of diplomatic ties with Myanmar.

They also proposed early removal of embargos on Myanmar and agreedthat they will continue to help Myanmar strengthen its internationalintegration as well as relations with international community.

Regardingthe issue of Korean peninsular, the parties hope for a peninsular ofpeace, stability and free from nuclear weapons.

They asked for the implementation of related Resolutions of the UNSecurity Council and soon resumption of the six-party talks, andaffirmed that ARF is willing to make contributions to creating afavorable environment for concerned parties to hold dialogues andconstructive exchanges.

The same day, the second East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place in Phnom Penh.

At the meeting, the ministers discussed issues which are of strategicimportance to the region, reviewed and set forth EAS operations in thefuture.

They said EAS has become an importantelement in the emerging regional architecture and affirmed that EAScontinues to be a forum of leaders to exchange issues of strategicimportance relating to regional peace, security and development,including issues on politics, marine security and safety together withboosting cooperation in five prioritised areas, namely finance, energy,education, bird flu and disaster management.

Theministers also agreed to intensify cooperation in regional connectivityand linkage, sea-related cooperation, including search and rescue,marine environment, sea connectivity, and coping with arisingchallenges.

East Sea issue was of most concerned at both EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ARF 19.

Participants of many countries expressed their concern about therecent complicated developments in the East Sea , which had impactson regional peace, stability and marine security, safety and freedom.

They stressed all concerned states had to settledisputes via peaceful means and respect international law and the1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully implement the DOC andsoon build up the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) toeffectively ensure peace, stability and security in the East Sea.

Also on the same day, ASEAN FMs signed a document to expand the TACwith the participation of EU and UK and paid a courtesy visit toCambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The ARF, founded in 1994,is a key regional forum for security dialogue in Asia. The forum wasattended by 27 countries including the 10 ASEAN member states and theirdialogue partners. While membership of EAS includes 10 ASEAN countriesand eight dialogue partners.-VNA