The resolution also called for “the exercise of self-restraint and the resumption of dialogue in order to de-escalate tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond.”
The nine-page resolution was signed by the defense ministers who gathered here yesterday for the 31st ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting being hosted by the Philippines. The signatories included defense ministers of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, and the minister of energy and industry of Brunei Darussalam.
The resolution expressed “grave concerns over the escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula including the testing and launching by the DPRK of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) n addition to its previous nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.”
This, even as the resolution also expressed “full support for the Philippines’ efforts to address the security and humanitarian situation in Marawi City and acknowledge the need for enhanced regional cooperation through intelligence and information sharing, increasing surveillance, and promoting awareness among the public about the threat of radicalism.”
The ministers, in the resolution, committed their countries to “work together to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in accordance with the ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism as well as identify ways to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation among ASEAN defence establishments and through the ADMM-Plus EWG on Counter-terrorism, while promoting synergy with related ASEAN-related sectoral bodies.”
