MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) — Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) joined a closing ceremony to mark the end of a three-day ministerial meeting on Tuesday (August 8).
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha were among the attendees greeted by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the rotating chair of this year’s ASEAN gathering.
“Heated discussions” took place about North Korea’s missile tests and South China Sea disputes at the security forum on Monday (August 7).
Most countries believed United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang should be fully implemented.
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China adopted on Sunday (August 6) a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a move they hailed as progress.
