The meeting stressed the importance of an immediate cessation of hostilities and the creation of favorable conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict
HANOI, August 5. /tass/. The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries called for a cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. This is stated in a joint statement adopted on Friday in Phnom Penh by the participants of the 55th meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers, which Cambodia is organizing as the current chairman of the regional association.
"With regard to Ukraine, as well as all nations, we reaffirm our respect for sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity. We once again call for compliance with the norms of international law and the Charter of the United Nations," the communique says.
The meeting stressed the importance of an immediate cessation of hostilities and the creation of favorable conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to find ways to peacefully resolve the situation in Ukraine, called for ensuring the safety of the civilian population and unhindered access to humanitarian aid for those in need.
The meeting participants also called on all interested parties to resume peaceful dialogue, continue work on resolving the DPRK nuclear issue and achieving a nuclear-free status of the Korean peninsula.
"We call on all interested parties to resume peaceful dialogue and continue working to achieve lasting peace and stability on the nuclear-free Korean peninsula," the communique says. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and noted international efforts aimed at achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means."
"We reaffirm our readiness to play a constructive role, including through the use of ASEAN-managed mechanisms, such as the ASEAN Regional Security Forum (ARF), in order to create a favorable atmosphere for peaceful dialogue between the parties concerned," the statement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers emphasizes.
In addition, the heads of the foreign ministries of the ASEAN member countries called for strengthening peace and security in the South China Sea (SCM).
"We reaffirm the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace, security, stability, freedom of navigation and aviation in the South China Sea," the communique says. The Ministers also stressed the need to take confidence-building measures between the parties in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the importance of compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The foreign ministers of the Association countries called for responsible implementation of all the provisions of the Declaration on the Rules of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea signed in 2002 by ASEAN and China, as well as for the early adoption of an "effective and substantive Code of Conduct of the parties."
China has been in dispute with a number of ASEAN countries for decades over the territorial affiliation of a number of islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines are involved in this conflict to varying degrees.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded in 1967 and today unites ten Southeast Asian countries - Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
