JAKARTA, July 11 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has expressed hope that the biennial resolution on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) will successfully be adopted at the 78th United Nations General Assembly this year.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the SEANWFZ Treaty 2023-2027 which forms an extended security framework will place an architecture that complements and strengthens the Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality Declaration of 1971.
Speaking at the media briefing on Tuesday, he said it was important for all Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to sign and ratify the Protocol to the Treaty.
“Malaysia is of the view that NWS can sign and ratify the NWS protocol SEANWFZ with or without any exemptions,” he said.
ASEAN as a credible regional organisation has to convene all NWS especially looking at the rising geopolitical tensions for the sake of regional peace, stability and prosperity.
Dr Zambry attended the Meeting of the Commission of the SEANWFZ here in conjunction with the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings.
He also shared Malaysia’s position on the progress in the implementation of the plan of action to strengthen the implementation of the Treaty.
Meanwhile, at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ interface meeting with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives Dr Zambry revealed the ministers were encouraged by the significant progress in AICHR’s work.
He said Malaysia’s representative to AICHR Professor Datuk Dr. Aishah Bidin had tabled the AICHR report.
Zambry, however, said AICHR should continue strengthen its engagement with ASEAN’s external partners, civil society organisations as well as ASEAN Sectoral Bodies to ensure continued progress in the human rights dimension in ASEAN’s overall community-building efforts.
He also said AICHR’s s efforts should also strengthen environmental protection and sustainable development as well as improve understanding on the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights.
At the 56th AMM, Zambry said the ministers discused on the development progress of the ASEAN Community and the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
Malaysia will also cooperate with Australia in conducting a capacity development programme for Timor-Leste from 18-22 Sept this year to help empower Timor-Leste’s human resource through Malaysia’s Technical Cooperation Programme.
Being the coordinator for the ASEAN- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Malaysia informed the meeting that the ASEAN GCC Summit is expected to take place in coming October in Riyadh.
In another development, Zambry said Malaysia had voiced its disappointment over Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)’s failure to include the South China Sea issue in the final document of the NAM Coordinating Bureau (NAM-COB) Meeting on July 6 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Hence, he suggested that ASEAN looked into the matter and this was agreed upon by the other ASEAN Foreign Ministers.
