East Asia Summit calls for 'engagement' to end crises around the globe

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 20th East Asia Summit in Malaysia called Monday for “engagement” to end crises around the globe, reaffirming its commitment to peace, multilateralism and international law.

The summit was chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the capital Kuala Lumpur with the attendance of global and regional leaders.

Noting that the summit stands as a platform for “dialogue, balance and cooperation,” Anwar said the participants reaffirmed their commitment to “peace, multilateralism and international law, choosing engagement over coercion and cooperation over confrontation.”

He said the summit welcomed US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, describing it as a “vital step toward lasting peace.”

Regarding the situation in Myanmar, Anwar said a ceasefire must be respected, aid must be delivered without obstruction, and an inclusive dialogue must continue towards the restoration of democracy.

On the issue regarding the South China Sea involving overlapping territorial claims by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, he said the summit asserts that the solution must be driven by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) based on international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and not through “external pressure.”

“We believe that the way out of any crisis is not isolation but engagement, whether in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine or North Korea,” he added, stressing that diversity is “not a barrier but a strength that unites us.”

Separately, at the 15th ASEAN-UN Summit, Anwar reaffirmed ASEAN’s "strong partnership" with the UN, which is "built on shared goals of peace, prosperity and sustainability."

"I thank UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his courage and moral clarity in speaking out against injustice, including the suffering in Gaza," he added.