ASEAN Must Explore Various Possibilities to Bridge the Accession of the SEANWFZ Treaty by Nuclear Weapon States

JAKARTA - Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro invited ASEAN to explore various possibilities to bridge the accession to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Agreement, at the meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission in Manila on Monday.

Speaking in the opening remarks of the meeting, Foreign Minister Theresa emphasized the importance of strengthening engagement with nuclear weapon states, to encourage accession to the SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol through joint efforts to resolve various pending issues.

"We need to continue to explore various possibilities to bridge the remaining differences, with the common goal of realizing the accession of all nuclear weapon states to the Protocol," said Foreign Minister Theresa, Monday (20/7).

Theres said that as the agreement enters its fourth decade since it was signed in 1995, ASEAN remains committed to its vision of keeping Southeast Asia a nuclear-free zone and all weapons of mass destruction.

He invited ASEAN to conduct a deep reflection on the future of the SEANWFZ Agreement.

"Since our last meeting in 2025, the global security architecture and nonproliferation regime are facing increasing pressure," he explained.

"Conflicts in various regions have shown that nuclear issues can quickly be connected to broader geopolitical dynamics," he continued.

"In the midst of increasing mistrust and weakening commitment to disarmament, ASEAN together with the international community faces a real risk of breaking the achievements that have been built for decades in the field of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament," said Foreign Minister Theresa.

He also highlighted the failure of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons - NPT Review Conference) on April 27-May 22 which failed to produce a final document that was agreed upon.

"This development is a serious challenge to regional peace and security that we cannot ignore," he said.

It is known that this is the third failure of the conference to produce a jointly agreed final document, after the previous 2015 and 2022 conferences also failed to produce an agreed final document.

In line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which began to be implemented this year, Foreign Minister Theresa invited to maintain the momentum in implementing the Plan of Action to strengthen the implementation of the SEANWFZ Agreement.

"In particular, we need to continue to increase the visibility, relevance, and effectiveness of the SEANWFZ Agreement in various multilateral forums, while reaffirming Southeast Asia's firm commitment to nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," said Foreign Minister Theresa.

"Equally important, we must continue to strengthen engagement with nuclear-weapon states to encourage their accession to the SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol, through joint efforts to resolve various pending issues," he said.

He added that the meeting of the South East Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission was a "collective responsibility for Southeast Asia to remain a peaceful, free, neutral and free from nuclear weapons and all forms of weapons of destruction.