President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted on Sunday the importance of unity among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) amid what he called continued violations of international laws in the geopolitical environment.
In his intervention during the 50th ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit, President Marcos called for a collective action amid the intercontinental ballistic missile tests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, unilateral actions in the East and South China Seas and the worsening violence in Myanmar.
President Marcos said that the missile tests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the unilateral actions in the East and South China Seas continue to threaten peace and stability in the ASEAN region.
“We cannot overemphasize that trust is the basis of peace, a trust based on deeds and not merely words, especially on a geopolitical environment increasingly characterized by disruptions, by violation to the international rule of law, as we face common yet complex challenges together,” President Marcos said.
“We cannot also discuss peace and stability in our region without recognizing the need to address the worsening violence and the plight of the people of Myanmar through pro-active engagement of all the stakeholders involved,” the President added.
President Marcos acknowledged that Myanmar remains a member of the ASEAN.
He said that the ASEAN member countries, as a family, “should be ready to help in alleviating the situation through the Five Point Consensus, the United Nations Mechanism and the AHA Center, or the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management.
President Marcos noted that Japan has proven to the ASEAN’s trusted, constant and reliable partner in maritime security and cooperation as well as humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) within ASEAN mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus.
He also emphasized that the Philippines is looking forward to co-chairing with Japan the ADMM Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security for 2024 to 2027.
“We trust that, through our joint efforts, we can also advance partnership on climate change, marine environmental protection, HADR, maritime security, military medicine, counterterrorism, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian mine action, and more recently, cybersecurity,” he said.
In another development, President Marcos also called on the ASEAN member countries for a continued partnership for the environment while addressing common threats to peace.
With this, President Marcos called on Japan to support efforts towards achieving carbon neutrality to reduce the effects of global warming, which will benefit disaster-prone communities as he called for climate action in promoting biodiversity management, green technologies and circular economy and the blue economy.
He said that the Philippines welcomes Japan’s initiative to hold the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Summit on Monday.
For the Philippines, President Marcos said that the Philippine government is ready to support the concrete outcome of the recent 28th Session of the Conference Parties to the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
He added that the Philippines is also ready to support the creation of a Loss and Damage Fund and the country is ready to host the headquarters of the Board of the Fund in the country.
“I wish to emphasize that natural disasters adversely affect food security. We thank Japan’s continued support through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, projects under the ASEAN Food Security Information System promoting sustainable agriculture, as well as the ASEAN-JICA Food Value Chain Development Project,” he said.
“We also look forward to future cooperation towards enhancing resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems through new technologies and innovation to ensure regional food security, and the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Sustainable Agriculture,” he added.
Before concluding his speech, President Marcos also pushed for the promotion of the youth sector and the people-to-people exchanges across all sectors, including culture and the arts, sports and tourism.
President Marcos also expressed his support for the adoption of the Joint Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation to build a world where shared principles and values are ensured, and all countries can exercise their rights under the rule of law, pursuing peace, freedom, and prosperity. *|PND*
