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PUTRAJAYA: The South China Sea should remain a zone of peace, stability and trade, and never a field for discussion with ASEAN states caught in conflict, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said here today.
He said Malaysia’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear: that territorial and maritime disputes are resolved by the relevant parties by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) one thousand nine hundred and eighty-two.
“We also look forward to the resumption of negotiations on the Code of Conduct for the Parties in the South China Sea (COC),” he said in his speech at the 27th virtual session of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Hishammuddin called on all parties to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight over the South China Sea, adding that despite differences in individual approaches, all parties should avoid actions that are deemed provocative, especially at a time when that governments remain focused on fighting the global Covid-19 pandemic.
He noted that the South China Sea is one of the five issues to be addressed regionally to maintain and ensure regional peace and stability, the others being the Rakhine State refugee crisis in Myanmar; combat terrorism and violent extremism; disarmament and non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear technology; as well as developments on the Korean peninsula.
In Rakhine, Hishammuddin said Malaysia continues to suffer the brunt of the refugee side effects of this protracted crisis with no foreseeable end.
“Unfortunately, we can no longer accept Rohingya because our resources and capacity are already depleted, exacerbated by the pandemic. However, Malaysia is unfairly expected to do more to accommodate arriving refugees with additional pressure from humanitarian groups, ”she said.
Malaysia, Hishammuddin emphasized, reaffirms the need for a proportionate sharing of burden and responsibility and calls on the signatory countries of the 1951 Convention (on refugees) to maintain and commit to their international legal obligations to receive more refugees for resettlement. or relocation.
“Malaysia strongly supports a process of repatriation, which is voluntary, safe and dignified, of people displaced from Rakhine and calls on Myanmar and Bangladesh to find a quick and sustainable solution to this matter.
“If this is not addressed immediately, the vulnerable Rohingya people will remain susceptible to exploitation and will be victims of unscrupulous human traffickers and terrorist forces,” he said.
On countering terrorism and violent extremism, Hishammuddin said that while it is clear that terrorist groups have been relatively quiet during Covid-19, no one should discount the fact that they may be stepping up their efforts to take advantage of uncertain times. of the present to promote your agenda.
The 10 ASEAN member states and the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners (Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States) were represented at the online event.
Also in attendance were Bangladesh, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea.
