PRESIDENT Aquino stressed the need for dialogue partners of member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help resolve the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
The President made this pronouncement during his intervention at the 2nd ASEAN-US Summit held at the Myanmar International Convention Center 1 here on Thursday.
The summit was attended by US President Barack Obama and other leaders of ASEAN member states, among them Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
“As a group, ASEAN is determined to maintain peace and stability in its neighborhood to create the necessary conditions for the unfettered pursuit of the people-centered and prosperous ASEAN Community, but as a collection of small and medium-sized states, ASEAN can only do so much. We need the support of our Dialogue Partners,” President Aquino said.
Aside from the US, other dialogue partners of the ASEAN include Japan, Australia, India, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and China.
The President said the massive reclamation in the contested islands in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, “can only escalate tensions”.
Earlier reports said China has been undertaking massive land reclamation work in Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef), one of the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines has long maintained that Mabini Reef is part of the Kalayaan Island Group, which is part of its territory.
China, on the other hand, has insisted that the reefs fall entirely within its sovereignty and the reclamation works in the area are “totally justifiable”.
“Our country has always subscribed to the idea that it is international law that levels the playing field, where small states can participate fully and equitably,” said President Aquino.
He stressed that the Philippines is taking deliberate steps to resolve its maritime dispute with China, notably through the formulation of a binding code of conduct, arbitration, and the implementation of the Declation of Conduct.
“Peace and security are necessary conditions for the success of our future ASEAN Economic Community. They are the foundation of our pursuit, as one region, of more productive and competitive economies,” he said.
The President acknowledged that the United States is one of the ASEAN’s most important strategic partners since the establishment of ASEAN-US Dialogue Relations in 1977.
“The ASEAN and the United States are natural partners in upholding the principles of international law and in advancing freedom of navigation, maritime security, and cooperation,” he said.
He said the Philippines looks forward to its co-chairmanship with the US and Japan, of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Maritime Security from 2015 to 2017.
President Aquino, meanwhile, reiterated the Philippines’ support for the international effort to combat terrorism and extremism, particularly the crimes committed by ISIS jihadists.
“The Philippines condemns the war crimes and crimes against humanity being perpetrated by this terrorist group,” he said.
“We support UNSC (UN Security Council) Resolution No. 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters and join fellow ASEAN member states in issuing an official statement on this issue at the margins of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in New York,” he added.
On the battle against the spread of the Ebola virus, President Aquino threw his firm support behind the international community’s efforts, led by the World Health Organization, to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. (PND)