KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, as the incoming ASEAN chair for next year, will firmly maintain its national and foreign policy values, in addition to its ongoing support for the regional organisation jointly established fifty-seven years ago, affirmed Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said ASEAN and Southeast Asia have made remarkable progress on all fronts.
“Our community is now maturing; processes within the pillars are being streamlined, and long-term goals will soon be in place.
“The ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which Malaysia has been entrusted to coordinate as the upcoming Chair, will mark another seminal moment for ASEAN.
“True, some challenges remain; but ASEAN has never been without challenges. Its very foundation was spurred by a desire to overcome strife and challenges of the time. ASEAN has continued to overcome these challenges, together. We have grown, together,” he said at the welcoming dinner of the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR), here, Tuesday.
Mohamad emphasised that a key factor enabling this progress is the emphasis on centrality, and perhaps more importantly, cohesion.
“Together with our external partners, I believe a central and cohesive ASEAN can exert a positive influence in mitigating the adverse effects of major power rivalry in the Asia Pacific,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamad underscored that conflicts, specifically in Myanmar and Palestine, have never been more important for security and stability.
“The civil war in Myanmar remains one of the most critical and pressing issues for ASEAN to manage. Let me be frank; we can, and should, do better.
“ASEAN and its Member States must get our house in order, and strive for a workable consensus. We must enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian aid distribution and engage all stakeholders to prepare for political reconciliation.
“We cannot ignore developments in Myanmar, as its internal dynamics have regional consequences. Malaysia, in particular, is facing the effects from displaced peoples who have been forced to flee, or denied a chance to return. To reiterate a constant point made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar, non-interference is not an excuse for indifference,” he said.
On Palestine, Mohamad said Malaysia has consistently pointed out that the root causes of the crisis must be addressed.
He added that the events that led to the ongoing destruction of Gaza did not occur suddenly on Oct 7 last year, nor did they happen in a vacuum.
“Palestinians have been subjected to almost eighty years of subjugation. The last few months have shown us that the government in Tel Aviv, left unchecked, has no qualms about committing barbaric and inhuman acts of atrocity.
“Israel’s friends and allies must persuade its government, to immediately end its aggression in Gaza.
“Malaysia stands firm in our position, that the Palestinians deserve their own independent and sovereign state through the two-state solution, based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This might seem a small possibility amid current circumstances, but it remains the only viable solution to decades of injustice,” he said.
