MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored on Wednesday the significance of strengthening cooperation and collaboration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia to uphold peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the leaders’ plenary session at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recognized Australia’s constructive role in fostering peace and stability in the region.
Additionally, Marcos welcomed Australia’s strategic efforts to strengthen its partnerships with nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We appreciate the evolution of Australia’s strategic approach towards the region from the mere confines of the Asia-Pacific to our now wider common interests in the Indo-Pacific,” he said during his intervention.
“We thus encourage Australia to continue its active engagement, both bilaterally and through ASEAN, to ensure the primacy of peace and stability through confidence building, preventive diplomacy, and conflict resolution in the region.”
Marcos also expressed gratitude towards Australia for its “consistent support” for the rule of law, particularly regarding the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration on the South China Sea.
He highlighted Australia’s support not only through “timely statements” but also through initiatives aimed at capacity building and promoting an understanding of international law.
Moreover, Marcos commended Australia’s efforts to deepen engagement with its neighbors to enhance their economic well-being through the four tracks of the special summit, including maritime cooperation, climate and clean energy, emerging leaders, and business.
Furthermore, he appreciated the Australian government’s hosting of a forum for “emerging leaders,” recognizing their significant role in shaping the global landscape.
He expressed hope that the forum involving emerging leaders from government, business, and civil society would serve as a platform to address the pressing challenges faced by Indo-Pacific countries and pave the way for finding solutions.
“Our emerging leaders are indeed the bedrock of the sustainability of our continued economic, social, and political progress,” Marcos said. “The above-mentioned thematic tracks will augur well towards the peace and prosperity of ASEAN and Australia, as well as the whole of the Indo-Pacific, and we look forward to supporting these initiatives as we usher in the next 50 years of vibrant relations.”
During the plenary session, two outcome documents are anticipated to be released: the ASEAN-Australia Leaders’ Vision Statement, delineating the fundamental principles marking the 50th anniversary of their Dialogue Relations, and the Melbourne Declaration.
