ASEAN Must Stay United In Pursuit Of A Nuclear Weapon-Free Region - Mohamad

By Ahmad Aidil Syukri Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 (Bernama) -- ASEAN must remain united in its commitment to a nuclear weapon-free Southeast Asia amid growing global security uncertainties and the resurgence of nuclear risks, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said ASEAN has a responsibility to ensure that the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty remains not merely a legal instrument, but a living dynamic commitment that contributes meaningfully to regional and global disarmament efforts.

“With the existential threat to humanity that nuclear arms pose, I call upon all ASEAN member states to remain united in our pursuit of a nuclear-weapon-free Southeast Asia,” he said in his opening statement at the SEANWFZ Commission meeting on Tuesday, held in conjunction with the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings.

Mohamad said the SEANWFZ Treaty, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, is a cornerstone of ASEAN’s security architecture, and Timor-Leste’s upcoming accession would further expand its geographical coverage and strategic relevance.

However, he expressed concern that Southeast Asia remains the only nuclear-weapon-free zone yet to receive formal recognition from nuclear-weapon states (NWS) through the signing and ratification of the Treaty’s Protocol.

“In this regard, we welcome the readiness by the NWS to engage with ASEAN with a view towards the signing and ratification of the Protocol. It is therefore incumbent upon ASEAN to respond constructively with urgency.

“We must work collectively to create the necessary conditions for the NWS to take this important step, including by resolving outstanding issues with the NWS in accordance with the principles and objectives of the Treaty,” he said.

The SEANWFZ Treaty, also known as the Bangkok Treaty, was signed in December 1995 in Bangkok by ASEAN member states as a commitment to preserve Southeast Asia as a region free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

It came into force in March 1997.

While all 10 ASEAN member states have ratified the Treaty, efforts to secure the signatures of the five recognised NWS - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - to the Treaty’s protocol remain ongoing.

Under the protocol, each NWS is required to respect the SEANWFZ Treaty, refrain from any act that would constitute a violation of the Treaty and its Protocol and pledge not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any state party to the Treaty, or within the zone.

According to the ASEAN website, efforts are underway to secure the accession of the NWS to the Protocol.

The 58th AMM and related meetings, held under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025 with the theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, will feature 24 ministerial-level meetings involving ASEAN Dialogue Partners and Sectoral Dialogue Partners.

The four-day high-level events are expected to bring together around 1,500 delegates, including foreign ministers from ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) participants, Sectoral Dialogue Partners and senior ASEAN Secretariat officials.

-- BERNAMA