The 31st The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit began in Manila on Monday, with the attendance of heads of the states of the member countries and the partner nations.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines set the tone for the meeting. He said that over the next two days, ASEAN should focus its attention on the issues of regional and international importance such as terrorism, piracy and armed robbery in the seas. He highlighted the just concluded military campaign in the city of Marawi, where a war between the military of Philippines and Islamic State-linked militants caused widespread destruction.
“Less than a month ago, the Philippines government forces liberated the city of Marawi from terrorist forces who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. We are now in the process of helping people back on their feet and reclaim their lives. Our ASEAN brothers sent support for the internally displaced persons and others sent valuable assistance and bolstered our military campaign,” said Mr. Duterte reminding the international community of need for closer cooperation on such urgent issues.
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“Terrorism and violent extremism endangers the peace and stability and security of our region because these threats know no boundaries. Piracy and armed robbery in the seas disrupt the stability of both regional and global commerce. Menace of illegal drug trade continues to endanger the very fabric of our society,” said Mr. Duterte, indicating the direction of interactions over the next two days of the summit.
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Mr. Duterte also announced that the ASEAN countries had reached a landmark consensus on “protection and promotion” of the rights of migrant workers that would ensure humane treatment and access to justice for them in the region. The document would be signed on Tuesday, he said.
The document, known as the ‘ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers’, will be a high point of the summit.
The opening ceremony of the summit began with a Ramayana-themed performance ‘Rama Hari’, which was performed by noted artistes Arman Ferrer and Lara Maigue.
Sitting in the front row of the Manila Convention Centre, the venue of the summit, were U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese Premier Le Keqiang, the State Counsellor of Myanmar and other heads of the ASEAN member states.
Apart from the issues of terrorism, human rights related issues especially on the Rohingya citizens of Myanmar, North Korean nuclear and missile proliferation, coastal and marine security and economy are also likely to come up in the coming sessions of the summit.