The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will start negotiations with nuclear-weapon states in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ Treaty), according to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia - the country chairing the association this year.
Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi (second right), issues a press statement in Jakarta on April 5. (Photo: ANTARA)
Jakarta (VNA) - The Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will start negotiations with nuclear-weaponstates in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia NuclearWeapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ Treaty), according to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia - the country chairing the association this year.
Under the ASEAN Matters pillar, one of the three priorities set by Indonesia during its 4th term as ASEAN Chair, several issuescontinue to be priorities and are being discussed continuously, includingthe signing of the SEANWFZ Protocol by nuclear weapon states (NWS), which washalted in 2012, she told the press in Jakarta.
The SEANWFZ Treaty, also known as the BangkokTreaty, was signed by all ASEAN member states in December 1995.
The treaty stipulates that its signatories cannot develop,manufacture or otherwise acquire, possess or have control over nuclear weapons,station or transport nuclear weapons by any means, or test or use nuclearweapons.
The diplomat said the Protocol to the SEANWFZTreaty is also open to be signed by the five nuclear-weapon states namelyChina, Russia, the US, the UK, and France.
She said China would be the firstof the five countries that expressed its willingness to sign the protocol, recalling that at the summit with ASEAN leaders held on November21 last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Beijing supports ASEAN'sefforts to build a nuclear weapon-free zone and is prepared to sign theProtocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty as early as possible.
This commitment was reiterated by Chinese ForeignMinister Qin Gang while receiving the visit of ASEAN Secretary General Kim KaoHourn in Beijing on March 27.
According to Retno, at the meeting in Phnom Penhon August 2, 2022, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, as the SEANWFZ Commission,agreed to extend the Plan of Action (PoA) of the SEANWFZ Treaty to the2023-2027 period.
As the chair of ASEAN in 2023, Indonesia iscommitted to ꧑facilita༒ting negotiations to find a common ground, she added./.
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Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi (second right), issues a press statement in Jakarta on April 5. (Photo: ANTARA) 
