MFA Press Statement: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam at the Post Ministerial Conferences and the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum, 10 to 13 July 2012

Minister Shanmugam had a bilateral meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario (Photo: MFA)
 

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam attended the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 10 July 2012. Minister Shanmugam noted that the APT process, which is commemorating its 15th anniversary this year, has developed into an important vehicle for regional cooperation and a key component of the regional architecture. Minister Shanmugam also expressed his appreciation to the People’s Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea for their continued interest in regional economic integration and looked forward to the Plus Three’s early announcement of their decision to join the ASEAN Framework on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Minister Shanmugam also had a bilateral meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario. Both sides reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and exchanged views on international and regional developments. The two Foreign Ministers also discussed developments in the South China Sea. Both Ministers agreed that differences in the South China Sea should be managed peacefully and expeditiously in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also discussed the importance of ASEAN unity and neutrality on regional issues of importance, which would promote the central role of ASEAN in the regional architechture.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

10 JULY 2012