Eu-Indo Pacific Ministerial Forum Concluded With Shared Ambition

PARIS, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- The inaugural European Union – Indo Pacific Ministerial Forum for Cooperation here concluded with several commitments or shared ambition, which – in a way – deepened the relations between the 27 member states of EU and some 30 Indo-Pacific countries. The participating countries in the forum agreed to work together for – among others – peace, prosperity and sustainable and inclusive development in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. They had also reaffirmed commitment to a rules-based international order, democratic values and principles, as well as to the strengthening of multilateralism and the rule of law. This, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, includes the freedom of navigation in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). “Security concern from Korea to the Malacca Straits, all this is are for us and our water veins because 40 per cent of our trades goes through this waters. “If this navigation was obstacles by someone, our economic inclusivity in the world will suffer a lot,that is why we need freedom of navigation…that we need security architecture that we need to built together,” he said in a press conference, here. The press conference was also joined by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The one-day forum co-chaired both by Borrell and Le Drian was organised on the occasion of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU and following the adoption in September 2021 of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Borrell, who is also the Vice-President of the European Commission, also noted that the bloc has also just launched a coordinated maritime presence to further support stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region and to optimise naval deployments as well as to promote coherence of European action. “This coordinative maritime presence. I want to clarify that it is not a military alliance and it is not against anyone,” he said. According to a press statement, the participating countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in particular in the framework of three round tables held during the Ministerial Forum on security and defence; connectivity and digital issues and global issues such as climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and oceans, and health. The statement also noted that the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (CATA) between the EU and ASEAN member states were presented as an example of a major initiative, and the EU welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations and expressed the hope that the agreement would be signed shortly. Le Drian, meanwhile, was confident that the forum, initiated by the French government, will continue to be organised by the coming presidency of the council of the EU. “I know that the Czech Republic that will succeed us in July is determined to pursue the impetus that we have been able to note this morning,” he said. -- BERNAMA