Philippines hosts ASEAN foreign minister retreat to tackle regional issues

CEBU, Philippines Jan 29 (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia began a meeting on Thursday to tackle key issues in the region, including tensions in the South China Sea, an escalating civil war in Myanmar and a border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.

The foreign ministers’ retreat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations aims to set the bloc’s agenda for the year under the chairmanship of the Philippines. 

Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro told her ASEAN counterparts that the global security environment has become more “challenging” and “more complex and interconnected”.

She vowed that Manila would continue to uphold the international rules-based order, and maintain ASEAN’s adherence to the principles of restraint, dialogue and international law. 

“Across our region, we continue to see tensions at sea, protracted internal conflicts and unresolved border and humanitarian concerns,” Lazaro said in her opening remarks. 

“Our meeting today allows us to collectively take stock of ASEAN’s priorities and exchange views on regional and global developments that directly affect us,” she added. 

The Philippines recently hosted a dialogue among opponents of Myanmar’s ruling junta in a bid to facilitate dialogue and humanitarian aid.

A 2021 coup in Myanmar triggered widespread protests that were brutally suppressed by the junta, unleashing a civil war involving a loose alliance of rebel groups. 

Manila is also aiming this year to finish a long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea, where tensions have escalated over the past three years. 

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by David Stanway)