Your Majesty, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I now call meeting to order. Now, twenty years ago, our predecessors had the wisdom and foresight to establish East Asia Summit as a leaders led forum for dialogue on strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern.
A forum which strives to strengthen global norms and universally recognise values with ASEAN as a driving force. Today, we must renew our shared purpose, reassert our objectives, promote principled forward-looking engagements. We’ll continue to advocate for dialogue over coercion, balance over binaries, cooperation over confrontation. We affirm our stand on global peace and security, for multilateralism and international law.
Now, I wish to alert and address on the following issues. First Gaza, of course we welcome President Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict is an important critical beginning to stop this madness, genocide and atrocities. But we have urge that this must be continued closely monitored so that there’s lasting peace, it’s inclusive, just and lasting political solution for Palestine.
On Myanmar, this has been deliberated by my colleagues in ASEAN all day yesterday. We are still committed to the honouring of the Five Point Consensus. But at the same time, I must acknowledge in the two meetings I had with the understanding with my colleagues in ASEAN that the leaders, acting President Min Aung Hlaing have been cooperative in engaging with us.
In the aftermath of the earthquake. When I met him in Bangkok, I said the ASEAN is committed to give all the necessary humanitarian support on two conditions. Number one, immediate ceasefire, stop the bombings and secondly, that the humanitarian assistance, including our field hospital in the military field hospital in Myanmar is given full access to all, irrespective of minorities or political persuasions.
I must commend that then the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing agreed with this and for the last one year you see some relative progress, although there have been complaints about some shootings, but certainly not in the scale that we used to see.
I met him again in Beijing, calling for the ceasefire and mentioning the ASEAN consensus on the need for inclusive, fair, and free elections.
Of course, we do not necessarily share all these views, but I would still urge colleagues to continue the engagement, continue the humanitarian assistance, and allow them to conduct the affairs of the State of Myanmar through their own national mechanisms to engage with all parties.
All the opposition groups 27 of them have been invited to Malaysia, to Kuala Lumpur, so that we are seen to be engaging with all sides. And 27 groups, minorities, and parties did so in a very positive manner, coordinated by our Foreign Ministry.
On the South China Sea, of course, there have been extensive discussions. We are happy that all parties have agreed to formulate this Code of Conduct.
But as is the case with all issues, we want it to be resolved within ASEAN and ASEAN with our partners in the region. Because the moment it is seen to be imposed and dictated by outside forces, things become more problematic and tense.
As far as we are concerned, things are still under control. We still urge strongly that all parties engage in these negotiations universally recognized principles of international law precisely the 1982 UNCLOS and the Code of Conduct.
On Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), of course, we are concerned with the recent surge in ballistic missile launches. But Malaysia’s position is to continue with some form of engagement. Because once we call for engagement in all areas from Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar we should not preclude engagement with DPRK.
Your Majesty, Excellencies,
At this summit today we will adopt the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the 20th Anniversary of the East Asia Summit and the Leaders’ Statement on Promoting Localization in Anticipatory Action for Disaster Preparedness and Response.
I congratulate the EAS participating countries for the commitment and tenacity that led to this achievement. This is a clear example that diversity does not divide.
In this meeting, I have to personally make this remark to two of our colleagues as guests of the Chair — President of Brazil and South Africa. President Lula da Silva is on his way, yet to arrive.
But both President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa represents the new phase, new consciousness of democratic transition and strongly supports multilateralism. And we want Africa to be very much part of this engagement of expanding our trading links, investments, and geopolitical arrangements.
Similarly with President Lula da Silva of Brazil an outstanding country in the South, in Latin America that I wish to continue to engage with countries in ASEAN, in extending our multilateral arrangements in trade, investments, and, I believe, within the whole of South and East Asia.
So, thank you very much again to all, Your Majesty and Leaders present. And I will now invite our friends and colleagues from the media to enjoy what is left of the coffee and tea and cakes, and come back when we have a statement to make.
Thank you very much, Arigato gozaimasu, Kamsahamnida, Kapunkha, Terima kasih.