President Joko Widodo expressed concern over the rising tensions in the Korean peninsula during a retreat session at the 30th ASEAN Summit held at the Formal Living Room, Coconut Palace, Manila, the Philippines, on Saturday.
"The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should send across a strong message to North Korea to comply with all UN Security Council resolutions," Widodo emphasized.
The ASEAN also expects all parties to exercise restraint, so that the situation in the Korean peninsula will not spiral out of control.
"Stability and peace in the Korean Peninsula must be restored," he noted.
Furthermore, Widodo said he will discuss the situation in the Korean Peninsula with President of the Peoples Republic of China Xi Jinping in the near future.
ASEAN leaders also discussed other international issues, including counterterrorism and the South China Sea.
Related to the issue of the South China Sea, ASEAN leaders expected the Code of Conduct (CoC) framework to be completed by mid-2017.
The ASEAN member countries and China had discussed the CoC framework in Bali in December 2016, as outlined in the Bali draft.
The draft was further streamlined during a meeting in Siem Reap in Cambodia at the end of March in 2017.
Indonesia expressed hope that global superpowers would not use the South China Sea region to project their clout.
"Indonesia invites the Peoples Republic of China to continue contributing to stability and peace in the South China Sea region," Widodo stated.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
