EAS AN IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM WITH GLOBAL POWERS - PM ANWAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed the imperative of sustained engagement and constructive dialogue among major global powers despite the absence of a joint statement at the just-concluded East Asia Summit (EAS).

He emphasised that the EAS continues to serve as a rare and strategically significant platform where all key players, including Russia, China, and the United States, are present and willing to engage directly on shared regional and global concerns.

“You don’t (usually) have regional meetings with their presence. Some meetings, if Myanmar comes in, the Europeans get out. Some meetings, if Russia is coming in, the others will not participate. But in the ASEAN-sponsored East Asia Summit, at least there was preparedness to engage and listen.

“They may agree (or) they may disagree but that is the position, and the consensus within ASEAN is to ensure that there is engagement,” he told a press conference after the closing ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits and handing over of the ASEAN chairmanship to the Phillipines here today.

Anwar said ASEAN’s priority is to keep channels of communication open despite differing positions among member states and dialogue partners.

“We should not stop engaging, and secondly, peace is critical to us,” he said.

Anwar also dismissed perceptions of disagreement over regional issues such as the South China Sea, noting that ASEAN nations are in agreement.

He added that Chinese Premier Li Qiang responded that we should facilitate and accelerate the (engagement) process for the good of ASEAN and all relevant parties.

“All agree that this region should not be an area of contest by superpowers,” he said.

Anwar said Malaysia continued to cooperate with multiple partners on maritime arrangements and security exercises, noting the importance of maintaining balance and avoiding provocation.

“The presence of partners is accepted.  We have maritime arrangements with the Americans, and there is also the traditional military exercise with Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

“We have increased activity with maritime collaboration with China.  That’s how it should work, to my mind,” said the Prime Minister.

However, Anwar said Malaysia would not allow the stationing of foreign military forces within its maritime borders, as this would contradict the nation’s long-held policy of neutrality and ASEAN centrality.

EAS is a high-level regional forum of leaders, held annually, that focuses on political, security, economic and strategic issues of common concern in East and Southeast Asia, as well as adjoining regions.  It typically occurs alongside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

Its membership extends beyond ASEAN countries, bringing in major regional powers and dialogue partners such as the US, China, India, Russia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand as part of the broader discussion.

-- BERNAMA