ASEAN pushes for political, security discussions in EAS

ASEAN is set to bring political and security issues to the negotiating table during the East Asia Summit (EAS) this year, with two new members set to join for the first time.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said Tuesday the agenda to be proposed to state leaders for discussion in the EAS was discussed in Bangkok from Sunday to Monday in an ASEAN foreign ministers’ retreat. The agenda, however, was not yet final.

“With the presence of new members — the US and Russia — [the foreign ministers] discussed how the EAS can bring benefit to Southeast and East Asian nations by providing them regional peace and stability, hence a political and security climate conducive for them to continue building their economy,” he told The Jakarta Post.

He said the EAS traditionally had discussed four primary topics: energy, financial issues, the environment and avian influenza. “But this time there’s need to also discuss geopolitics or strategic politics and security to make [the EAS] an effective forum for its participating countries,” said Michael.

However, he refused to clarify when asked if the issues of Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes between China and Japan and between Russia and Japan and the South China Sea would be among the main topics to be discussed by leaders, saying specific issues were yet to be decided. “Matters that will be raised in the leaders’ statement will of course be current issues. They could be security in our region or in another region that can have a global impact,” he said.

Pelita Harapan University School of Social and Political Sciences dean Alexius Jemadu said the EAS should take up “troublesome” issues involving many countries, such as the South China Sea.

He said issues regarding the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes between China and Japan and issues involving Russia and Japan should also be discussed in the EAS if the forum was truly committed to discussing political and security issues.

“China earlier said that its sovereignty in the South China Sea cannot be disturbed … and that the presence of small and large nations is ‘a fact of life’ that the world must accept,” he told the Post.

“If this kind of show of political strength [diplomacy] is put forward, it will cause trouble [in the future]. Security must be made more clear to avoid any escalation that might perturb economic stability in the region.”

Parahyangan University ASEAN expert Andreas Hugo Pareira said as the EAS would highlight political and security issues — terrorism, non-traditional military threats and territorial disputes should also be discussed at the leaders’ forum.

Andreas, however, as well as Alexius, agreed that issues discussed in the EAS would likely overlap those raised in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), thus making the intended role of the EAS less effective.