East Asia Summit commits to counterterror cooperation

MANILA, Philippines - Deeply concerned over the rise of terrorism and radicalization in some countries, members of the East Asia Summit (EAS) reaffirmed their commitment to counter the activities of extremist groups to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.

Foreign ministers stressed the importance of strengthening EAS cooperation to address security threats in a “comprehensive manner.”

“The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to counter the activities of the terrorist/extremist groups, including the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and resolved to step up efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism by strengthening security cooperation, information sharing, suppressing terrorism financing and de-radicalization,” according to a statement issued at the 7th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting.

The ministers noted the conduct of the Trilateral Meeting on Security among officials of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in Manila last June 22 in a bid to further enhance cooperation among their countries.

During the trilateral meeting, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia reaffirmed the imperative to collaborate and jointly develop and implement appropriate measures and strategies to tackle the symptoms and root causes of terrorism.

The EAS is a regional leaders-led forum for strategic dialogue, which promotes closer regional integration and cooperation in the East Asia region. It includes the 10 ASEAN member-states, plus Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.