(VOVworld) – The 47^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 47) in Myanmar on Sunday released a joint communiqué stressing that ASEAN would continue to consolidate solidarity and a unified stance on internal and external issues as well as regional and global issues.

The communiqué says that the ministers agreed to promote ASEAN’s principles, regulations and values while promoting ASEAN to become the leader for conduct standards in the region through the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on mutual benefit principles, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) with strong support from partners in and outside the region.    

The ministers stressed that ASEAN would increase its common voice in matters of common concern, particularly those concerning peace, stability, security, and development. They reiterated the commitment to increasing efforts in political and security cooperation to contribute to peace and security of each member state and the ASEAN Community as a whole. To achieve this, ASEAN has experienced considerable progress in implementing the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) plan with the aim of promoting peace and security in the region by elevating ASEAN’s political and security cooperation to a new level.

In the communiqué, the ministers stressed the importance of exclusive cooperation and coordination to ensure peace, stability and security of sea routes, navigation freedom, security and safety as well as the sustainability of the marine environment in the region. With regard to the East Sea, ASEAN Foreign Ministers continued to express their concern over recent developments that increased tensions in the East Sea and stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and maritime security, and maritime and aviation freedom in the East Sea. They urged parties concerned to exercise restraint and avoid actions that might complicate the situation and be detrimental to peace, stability and security in the East Sea and settle disputes through peaceful measures including consultations and dialogue in line with international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ministers agreed to increase consultations with China on measures and mechanisms to ensure effective and full implementation of the DOC, particularly articles 4 and 5 as well as practical negotiations to quickly achieve a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC)

The 47^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings have been widely covered by the world media. France’s AFP news agency and the Straits Times of Singapore reported the meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. They praised progress in the two countries’ partnership and hailed Vietnam’s positive steps in civil nuclear cooperation and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons as well as its approach to disputes in the East Sea. They also said that differences between the two countries will continue to be discussed as part of efforts to bring this relationship to the level of comprehensive development.