... we have not heard of any meetings on the sidelines to discuss the South China Sea issue...Jakarta (ANTARA News) - ASEAN has not scheduled any meetings to discuss its stance following the ruling of the UN arbitration court on the South China Sea dispute, the director of the Inter-Regional Dialogue Partners of ASEAN Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Derry Aman, said.
"Currently, based on the program that we received (for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting/AMM), we have not heard of any meetings on the sidelines to discuss the South China Sea issue," Aman stated here on Thursday.
The statement was made in response to questions and to encourage the ASEAN to declare a stance on the arbitration court's ruling related to the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, during the AMM.
On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the UN in The Hague issued the final verdict in the lawsuit filed by the Government of the Philippines against China under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 regarding the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
International arbitration court rejected China's claim of having rights in the South China Sea region and supported the case brought by the Philippines.
The UN PCA made it clear that there was no evidence that China has historically had exclusive control or authority over the waters or resources in the South China Sea.
The territorial dispute in the South China Sea involves China and some ASEAN countries, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Vietnam.
After the arbitration court's ruling on July 12, ASEAN has not expressed its stance, while the Chinese government has declared not to recognize the outcome of the international arbitration court and refused to take part in implementing the decision.
Aman informed that the ASEAN foreign ministers will meet in Vientiane, Laos, on this July 23 to 26, and has no agenda for any special meeting to discuss maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Aman reiterated that Indonesia will continue to encourage all parties not to take any action that could disrupt stability in the region, in regard of escalating any polemic about the dispute.
"Indonesia will continue to play its role to show that ASEAN has the 'leadership'. Indonesia's interest is in maintaining ASEAN's centrality and unity to maintain regional peace and stability," Aman stressed.
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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