NAY PYI TAW (MYANMAR), Aug 10:
Identifying the scourge of terrorism as a major challenge for countries of the Asia Pacific region, India today sought concrete action in dealing with it and said the menace should be tackled resolutely with one yardstick.
In her address at the 21st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting here, Swaraj also asked international community to support Afghanistan as it was going through a delicate transition.
“We must address this scourge resolutely and with one yardstick. Our commitments must be translated into concrete action against individuals and groups involved in terrorist acts. Terrorists should not find sanctuary and support in any ARF member state,” Swaraj said.
“At this time of a delicate transition, the international community must support Afghanistan to preserve the progress it has made in the last decade against terrorism and related threats to its national wellbeing. India remains committed to assisting Afghanistan in building its capacity for democratic governance, security and economic development,” she said.
On disputes relating to the South China Sea, which dominated discussions in the ARF as well as East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting, Swaraj said the recent developments in the South China Sea underscore the need to resolve sovereignty issues peacefully by the countries concerned in accordance with international law.
“India opposes the use or threat of use of force and supports freedom of navigation and access to resources in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. These principles should be respected by all,” the External Affairs Minister said.
“We have noted that the parties concerned are engaged in discussions to address the issue, and we hope that progress will be made with respect to implementation of Guidelines to the 2002 Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea and the adoption of a Code of Conduct on the basis of consensus,” she said.
Fresh standoff started recently when China deployed a deep sea oil rig into waters close to the Paracel Islands, which, Vietnam, says belong to it.
India’s ONGC Videsh (OVL) has operations in oil blocks in hydrocarbon-rich South China Sea. China has been objecting to India’s oil exploration projects in the disputed waters.
Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam have been making territorial claims over parts of the South China Sea which was rejected by China. China’s growing activities in the disputed waters have escalated the tensions.
Swaraj said a new Government has taken charge in India with strong public support and high public expectations and its agenda focuses on “inclusive economic growth, good governance, promotion of infrastructure, trade and investment”.
“I am aware of the critical role that our bilateral cooperation with all of your countries will play in the realisation of this agenda,” she said.
The External Affairs Minister said the Asian security was beset with challenges of terrorism, WMD proliferation, territorial and maritime disputes, cyber crime and piracy, energy insecurity and environmental degradation and all the countries in ARF must join hands to deal with them unitedly.
“Very few of these challenges can be handled unilaterally. The notion of comprehensive and cooperative security really comes alive in our region,” she said.
The ARF is a premium platform for security dialogue and cooperation in the region.
On the issue of Korean Peninsula, she said India has always supported efforts to bring about peace, stability, reconcialiation and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
“Our concerns on nuclear and missile proliferation from DPRK are well-known and we endorse the objective of peaceful de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” she said.
Talking about the situation in West Asia, she said India was “deeply concerned” at the ongoing situation there which is a region closely tied to India culturally and economically. “We support a negotiated solution to the recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestine,” she said.
To deal with security related challenges, Swaraj said the Asia-Pacific security architecture in general and the ARF in particular should be open, transparent, inclusive and evolutionary.
“At this stage it must be dialogue-centered and ASEAN must remain at its heart. For us ASEAN centrality is as much a practical construct as it is an acknowledgment of ASEAN’s historic role in Asian regional cooperation and integration.
“We also hope for greater synergy and complementarity between ARF and other security forums such as the East Asia Summit and the ADMM Plus. I assure you of India’s continued contribution to the success of ARF activities,” she said.
The current participants in the ARF are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, North Korea, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States and Vietnam.
In the meeting, the Philippines forcefully raised the issue of the South China Sea and called for its immediate resolution. A number of other countries also raised it.
However, China rejected demand for its resolution at a multilateral forum and insisted that it will deal with it bilaterally with concerned countries.
Speaking to reporters, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is committed to resolving the disputed peacefully through friendly consultations and negotiations.
“As a major responsible country, China will continue to exercise restraint, but at the same time will respond to provocations unequivocally and resolutely,” he said.
Wang reaffirmed China’s willingness to listen to “well-intentioned suggestions” from all parties on the issue but said suggestions leading to “double standards” are rather unfair and will not be accepted.
Officials said the ARF meeting also did not pay heed to a US proposal for a freeze on all kinds of provocative activities in the South China Sea. The proposal was opposed by China.
In the meeting, the Philippines presented a three-way plan to defuse tension in the area which was also not accepted by the ARF members. (PTI)
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