Stronger regional unity essential — Gibo
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday called for stronger ASEAN unity, peaceful dispute settlement, and deeper defense cooperation as the 20th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) opened in Cebu.
Speaking before defense ministers and senior officials from the 10 ASEAN member states, Teodoro warned that changes in the international security environment pose growing challenges to smaller and archipelagic countries.
He emphasized the need for regional solidarity as ASEAN marks 20 years of defense cooperation through the ADMM and the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
“Building on these milestones, our engagements this week offer a valuable opportunity to express and reflect on how we can sustain and enhance collective progress and defend our shared principles,” Teodoro said.
The defense chief outlined three priorities for the regional bloc: maintaining ASEAN unity, strengthening practical defense cooperation and promoting candid discussions on regional security threats.
Teodoro said ASEAN’s internal stability and unity have become increasingly important amid a fragmenting international order.
He stressed that regional cooperation remains essential to upholding sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and the renunciation of the threat or use of force.
Citing tensions in the South China Sea, Teodoro said countries should resolve differences through “peaceful and legal means.”
He also welcomed efforts by Cambodia and Thailand to maintain their ceasefire agreement and pursue a lasting resolution to their dispute.
“In that spirit, we welcome the efforts of our kin in Cambodia and Thailand to maintain the ceasefire agreement and seek a peaceful and durable solution to the current situation,” Teodoro said.
“For our part, the Philippines reaffirms its continued participation in the process settled by our leaders, the ASEAN Observer Team, with due regard for the sensitivity of all concerned,” he added.
Myanmar mission set
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro will lead a humanitarian mission to Myanmar to deliver assistance to displaced and disaster-affected communities.
Lazaro, who also serves as the ASEAN chair’s special envoy on Myanmar, will lead the ASEAN Monitoring Team mission in coordination with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
The mission, involving representatives of ASEAN diplomatic missions and Japan-based representatives in Yangon, will visit designated sites in Taunggyi, Southern Shan State, on Wednesday.
It will launch a month-long distribution of humanitarian assistance to communities in Kayin State and Southern and Northern Shan States, particularly areas the AHA Center has not reached before.