According to a statement released on August 6, the ministers took noteof some concerns on the land reclamations and activities in the area, whichhave eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace,security and stability in the region.
They reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence,exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoid actions that mayfurther complicate the situation, and pursue peaceful resolution of disputes inaccordance with international law.
The ministers took note of the agreement between the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) and China on a single draft negotiating text for anenvisaged code of conduct in the East Sea and emphasised the need to maintainan environment conducive to negotiations on the code.
The ministers, including those of Japan and the US, also called on theDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abandon its nuclear weapons inline with leader Kim Jong Un's commitment to complete denuclearisation of the KoreanPeninsula.
At the 27-member ARF, they urged the DPRK "to fulfill its statedcommitment to complete denuclearization and its pledge to refrain from furthernuclear and missile tests."
Even though the meeting ended on August 4, the chairman's statement wasonly released on August 6 by the Foreign Ministry of Singapore which iscurrently holding the chairmanship of the 10-member ASEAN. The delay was justto seek everyone's views, said a source.
The ministers welcomed the two inter-Korean summits held in April andMay and the summit between the DPRK and the US held in June, as well as thejoint statements issued at those meetings.
They "urged all concerned parties to continue working towards therealization of lasting peace and stability on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,including through the full and expeditious implementation" of those recentstatements.
The ARF comprises the 10 ASEAN states – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – plus China,Japan, the US, Russia, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan,Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the European Union, Papua New Guinea,Bangladesh, East Timor, Mongolia and Sri Lanka.-VNA