Noy in Kuala Lumpur for his last ASEAN summit

KUALA LUMPUR – President Aquino will say goodbye to his fellow leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as this will be his last participation in the ASEAN summit as the country’s chief executive.

Aquino arrived here yesterday for the ASEAN summit immediately after hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation  (APEC) summit in Manila. 

On various occasions, Aquino announced that it would be his last ASEAN summit because he would be busy with preparations for the elections in May 2016. He would step down from office in June. 

During his bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on Tuesday on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Aquino said he would again push for the peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute. 

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in October that it has jurisdiction to hear the case of the Philippines seeking to clarify maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines filed the case due to China’s massive land reclamation and militarization of disputed areas that other countries said were threatening regional peace and stability. 

Aquino said ASEAN must ensure the full and effective implementation of the Declaration of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea as well as the urgent need for parties to conclude negotiations on a legally binding code of conduct.  

“This is a shared aspiration that we will continue to advance, as I take part in my final ASEAN summit as president of the Philippines,” Aquino added.

The President said he would also thank all the members of the 10-member regional bloc for supporting his peace initiatives in war-torn Mindanao. 

He described his trip to Kuala Lumpur as “special” because it is also in this gathering of Asian heads of state where the ASEAN Community will be launched, and where countries will cooperate with each other in security, trade and fighting poverty. 

Aquino’s last ASEAN summit will coincide with the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Community and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, which will pave the way for ASEAN member-countries’ integration. 

The ASEAN member-countries will also sign the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and will issue a Joint Statement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Negotiations. 

ASEAN leaders will also have a dialogue with their partners – Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, the United States, the European Union, and India.

        – With Delon Porcalla