ASEAN will discuss the East Sea dispute at the Summit

This meeting of the bloc will focus on the maritime dispute between China and several Southeast Asian countries.

Speaking on October 30 in Malaysia, Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan said that the focus of the agenda at the ASEAN Summit next month in Cambodia will be discussing maritime disputes between several Southeast Asian countries and China.

Secretary General Pitsuwan (photo: SCMP)

“Southeast Asian countries may not finalize the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) by the middle of next month, but in principle, they have agreed to create more momentum for frank discussions on the issue. Without interference and pressure, the issue will be raised at the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Summit,” said Secretary-General Pitsuwan.

On this occasion, Secretary-General Pitsuwan called on the international community to support Myanmar in resolving the sectarian conflict in the eastern state of Rakhine. He stressed that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will certainly commit to providing humanitarian aid to the people in Rakhine, but there are still many other issues beyond the framework of ASEAN, requiring the international community, international organizations, specifically the United Nations, to support the political reconciliation process in Myanmar. To date, the fighting between the Muslim and Buddhist communities in Rakhine has killed at least 84 people and displaced more than 22,000 people./.

According to VOV - DT