East Sea content in documents of 24th ASEAN conference

Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015:

Strengthen cooperation to ensure full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), in compliance with the generally recognized principles of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in particular calling on all parties to exercise self-restraint and refrain from the use of force, as well as refrain from conducting activities that may escalate tensions, and to soon reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as reflected in ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the East Sea.

ASEAN Foreign Ministers at the conference. (Source: AP)

Chairman's Statement of the 24th ASEAN Summit:

On May 11, the Chairman of the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit issued a statement on the current situation in the East Sea.

The statement stated: "We express our deep concern over the ongoing developments in the South China Sea. We reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. We call on all parties to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) to fully and effectively implement this Declaration in order to create an environment of trust and confidence; exercise self-restraint, refrain from the threat or use of force, resolve disputes by peaceful means, and comply with the universally recognized principles of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We emphasize the need to promptly conclude a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Accordingly, we acknowledge the importance of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Statement on the Current Situation in the South China Sea, issued by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 10/5/2014".

Previously, in the Statement on May 10, ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed deep concern over ongoing incidents in the East Sea, saying that these incidents are increasing tensions in the region.

The Foreign Ministers requested relevant parties, on the basis of compliance with the generally recognized principles of international law and UNCLOS, to exercise self-restraint and avoid actions that could undermine peace and stability in the region; to resolve disputes by peaceful means, without using or threatening to use force.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers also affirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime safety, freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, as well as the importance of the Six-Point Statement on the East Sea and the 15th ASEAN-China Summit Joint Statement commemorating the 10th anniversary of the signing of the DOC.

The Ministers called on all parties to the DOC to fully and effectively implement the Declaration in order to create an environment of trust and confidence. The Ministers stressed the need to soon reach a COC./.

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