KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — China and Russia have agreed to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), while the United States is reviewing the deal, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said.
He said the superpowers’ involvement in the treaty will help preserve Southeast Asia as a region of peace that is free of nuclear weapons.
“We have established Southeast Asia as a peaceful region, and next week, the foreign ministers (of countries involved) will meet,” he said at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s engagement session with the Malaysian diaspora in Rome, Italy, yesterday.
The session was held in conjunction with the prime minister’s three-day working visit to Italy. A video of the session was shared with Bernama today.
SEANWFZ, also known as the Bangkok Treaty, was signed in December 1995 in Bangkok by the 10 Asean members. It came into effect in March 1997.
The protocol of the treaty commits Nuclear Weapon States to respect the SEANWFZ and not violate the treaty and its protocols; to not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against states in the zone; and to not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons within the zone.
Malaysia will host the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, which will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from July 8 to 11.
Malaysia took over the Asean chairmanship on January 1 from Laos, with the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, reflecting Malaysia’s commitment to fostering a united and prosperous Asean.
This is Malaysia’s fifth Asean Chairmanship after having assumed the role in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
— Bernama
