Asean welcomes nuclear weapon states to sign anti-nuclear treaty

Asean expressed openness for any nuclear weapon state (NWS) to sign the Protocol of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (Seanwfz) Treaty, reaffirming the region’s commitment to remain free of nuclear weapons.

Asean foreign ministers noted that the executive committee of the Seanwfz Commission continues to explore the possibility of allowing individual NWS to sign the protocol, without reservations, and provide written assurance of their commitment.

“We reaffirmed our commitment to continuously engage all the NWS, including those with reservations, and intensify efforts of all parties to resolve all outstanding issues in accordance with the objectives and principles of the Seanwfz Treaty.

“We encouraged our Asean experts to explore ways to bridge the differences, including the possibility of engaging with experts from NWS.”

Asean foreign ministers said this in a joint communique issued yesterday following the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 9.

The July 8 to 11 Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related talks, including the Seanwfz Commission meeting, concluded at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday.

They were organised by Malaysia, as this year’s Asean chair, and were themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.

On Thursday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said China, which is one of the five countries recognised as NWS under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), will sign the protocol of the Seanwfz as soon as all documentation is ready.

On July 2, Mohamad reportedly said Russia had indicated readiness to sign the protocol, while the United States was still reviewing the treaty.

The ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing the profile of the Seanwfz Treaty globally, including through engaging other nuclear weapon-free zones.

They welcomed the adoption of the Asean-sponsored biennial resolution on the Seanwfz Treaty by the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Dec 4, 2023.

Seanwfz is one of five nuclear weapon-free zones in the world. The other four are in Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Africa, and Central Asia.

Timor-Leste’s accession

Apart from that, they also looked forward to the accession of Timor-Leste to the treaty by the 47th Asean Summit, this October.

“To this end, we underscored the need to expedite our respective internal legal procedures to facilitate Timor-Leste’s timely accession,” they said.

The ministers also called on all states to renew their commitment to the NPT’s full and effective implementation, and to rally towards a meaningful consensual outcome document at the 11th NPT Review Conference in 2026.

“In this regard, we supported the nomination of Vietnam as the president of the 11th NPT Review Conference,” they said.

They also stressed the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Seanwfz Treaty, including through the Plan of Action to Strengthen the Implementation of the Seanwfz Treaty (2023-2027).

- Bernama

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