In their joint statement issued at the end of the summit between the two blocs on Wednesday 14 December, the leaders of the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to “condemn” the war in Ukraine. Instead, they reaffirmed “the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. The EU and ASEAN also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea, and threats to peace and security in the South China Sea.
Ukraine. The reason why ASEAN leaders could not join the EU in its condemnation of the war in Ukraine is that they do not all share the same position, as the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is the ASEAN Chairman for the year 2022, explained. “Some countries voted against the UN Security Council resolution on the war and others voted for it. As far as Cambodia is concerned, we supported the resolution”, he explained in a press conference.
The joint EU-ASEAN statement refers to the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 2 March 2022. It also mentions “different analyses of the situation and the sanctions”, but reaffirms “for all nations the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
South China Sea. The two blocs called to “avoid actions that could increase tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculations” in the South China Sea as Beijing continues to exert pressure on the territory.
Myanmar. The summit was marked by the absence of a Burmese representative, as requested by the other nine ASEAN countries, who took the opportunity to express their concerns, along with the EU, about the political situation in the country. Together with the EU, they called on Myanmar to implement the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.
North Korea. Again, the summit participants expressed their “strong concerns” about Pyongyang’s repeated ballistic missile launches. As the EU does regularly, both blocs called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions that concern it.
Afghanistan. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is also of concern to the EU and ASEAN, which both called on the authorities to allow access to humanitarian assistance throughout the country. They also stressed “the importance of an inclusive and fully representative government, based on the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons living in Afghanistan, particularly women, girls and children”.
See the joint EU/ASEAN declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/4od (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)