Malaysia affirms consistent stance on East Sea issue
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has affirmed his country's consistent position that issues concerning the East Sea (internationally called South China Sea) must be managed in a peaceful and rational manner through dialogue and consultations, utilising appropriate forums and diplomatic channels.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Photo: VNA)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail SabriYaakob has affirmed his country's consistent position that issues concerningthe East Sea (internationally called South China Sea) must be managed in apeaceful and rational manner through dialogue and consultations, utilisingappropriate forums and diplomatic channels.
Addressingthe 16th East Asia Summit on October 27, he stressed that to ensureit remains a sea of peace and stability, all parties should exerciseself-restraint and avoid actions that may be deemed provocative, which couldfurther complicate the situation and escalate tensions in the area.
As aclaimant state, Malaysia is firmly of the view that matters relating to theEast Sea must be resolved peacefully and constructively, in accordance withuniversally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 UNConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the PM noted.
Malaysiaremains committed to advancing negotiations on a Code of Conduct (CoC) in thewaters, the leader said, adding that it continues to look forward to the earlyconclusion of an effective and substantive COC.
Regardingthe trilateral security pact involving Australia, the UK and the US (knownthrough its acronym AUKUS), the PM underscored the importance of preserving theSoutheast Asian region as a nuclear weapon-free zone, in line with the Zone ofPeace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) Declaration and Southeast Asia Nuclear WeaponFree Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty.
The 16th EAS, held via videoconference, was attended by ASEAN member states, Australia,China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the US,along with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Trade Organisation(WTO)./.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Photo: VNA) 
