The event drew the attendance of foreign ministers and delegation heads of 27 ARF participants

The 17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the last ministerial of the 43rd ASEAN ministerial and related meetings, took place in Hanoi on July 23 under the chairmanship of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem.

The event, comprising a retreat session and a plenary session, was attended by foreign ministers and delegation heads of 27 ARF participants.

The ministers exchanged views on international and regional issues of common interest, reviewed the process of co-operation over the past year and mapped out the future direction of the forum for the future.

The ARF participants reiterated their support for ASEAN to continue promoting co-operation and dialogue for confidence building in the region, stressing the importance of using ASEAN’s established mechanisms and instruments for peace and regional stability, namely the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the ARF.

ARF participants expressed their support for ASEAN’s central role in shaping the regional structure, welcomed ASEAN’s efforts to encourage and promote deeper engagement of dialogue partners in regional co-operation, including the participation of Russia and the US at the East Asia Summit.

Regarding the regional situation, the ministers expressed deep concern about the Cheonan incident on March 26 and extended condolences to the Government of the Republic of Korea for the loss of lives; they called on all concerned parties to exercise self-restraint and resolve all disputes by peaceful means. They also encouraged the parties to return to the six-party talks with a view to achieving the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula for lasting peace and stability.

The ministers were briefed by Myanmar on recent developments in the country, including preparations for the upcoming general election. They expressed hope that the election will take place in a free and fair manner with the participation of parties that would lay the foundation for long term stability and development in the country. The participants also extended their support for Myanmar to work with ASEAN and the United Nations in the process of national reconciliation and the country’s development.

The ministers stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in the East Sea; reaffirmed their support for the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards concluding a Regional Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in the future. They called on strengthening dialogue, promoting confidence building among concerned parties, and resolving disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the spirit of the DOC and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The ministers reaffirmed that the ARF remains the key forum to discuss political and security issues in the region with ASEAN at the centre, while continuing as one of the pivotal elements in an evolving regional structure. The ministers emphasized the need for the ARF to maintain its relevance and become more action-oriented in addressing multi-dimensional challenges, especially the non-traditional security threats such as climate change, disaster, and maritime security.

The ARF participants agreed and adopted the Hanoi Action Plan to implement the ARF Vision Statement, which contains concrete and practical goals and measures to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous ARF area by 2020.

The ministers also adopted a list of 17 co-operative activities for the 2010-2011 period. All ARF participants agreed on the need to promote co-operation towards preventive diplomacy alongside conducting confidence building; improve modalities and strengthen effective ARF activities; increase the sharing of information and enhance policy transparency; cooperate in resolving non-traditional security challenges; intensify links between Track I and Track II; and encourage more senior defence officials to participate in this forum.

Accordingly, the ministers agreed to adopt the ARF Annual Security Outlook Standardised Format (ASO); the Plan for Disaster Relief; the Plan for Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime; and the Plan for Maritime Security. They tasked senior officials to work on ways to strengthen the ARF as part of the ASEAN Secretariat.

The forum closed with the Chairman’s Statement on the outcome of the forum.

On the same day, ASEAN foreign ministers witnessed Canada and Turkey signing the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation (TAC); and signed the Third Protocol with the TAC High Contracting Parties to amend TAC to allow the EU to enter the Treaty. (VNA)