OPENING REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE DATO' SERI UTAMA HAJI MOHAMAD BIN HAJI HASAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA
Distinguished ASEAN Colleagues,
Secretary-General of ASEAN,
Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamualaikum and good afternoon.
Thirty years ago, ASEAN member states united, to draw a line in the sand: that our region would never become a stage for nuclear conflict.
The birth of the Southeast Asian Nuclear WeaponFree Zone, was a manifestation of the difficult lessons we learnt during the Cold War.
The close calls that we endured throughout those years, taught us that the Nuclear Age was perhaps humanity’s most dire stage yet.
I say ‘was’, because we are now confronted with newer dimensions to the nuclear threat.
As I speak, the global non-proliferation regime is under serious strain. The erosion of trust among nuclear powers, coupled with the modernisation of nuclear arsenals, raises the spectre of a renewed, and evolved, nuclear arms race.
Emerging technologies, such as cyber warfare, quantum computing, and A.I., have brought new layers of complexity to the table.
Their integration into strategic systems has made us all more vulnerable, and raised the potential for escalation, that could be among the most dangerous hallmarks of the era we live in.
Indeed, the Nuclear Age and the Information Age, have coalesced into humanity’s most volatile period. Whether you know this era as the Post-Information Age, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the Age of A.I., one thing is certain: The Cold War may be over, but nuclear weapons are even more dangerous now than they were back then.
To compound our worries, current nuclear disarmament mechanisms appear to be struggling to fulfil their purpose, an issue which becomes more troubling, considering the ongoing conflicts across the globe.
In Ukraine, protracted warfare has heightened fears of nuclear escalation, with rhetoric from Nuclear Weapons States, that threaten to undermine decades of disarmament efforts.
In the Middle East, regional instability is growing more profound, with Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran. This is a blatant agitation for war and breach of international law.
The IAEA has made two things clear: First, that there is no evidence of Iran having a nuclear weapons programme. Second, and I quote, “nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.”
Nuclear Weapons States continue to place nuclear weapons on high-alert status, reminding us of the catastrophic humanitarian risks related to nuclear weapons and their proliferation, as well as the urgent need to strengthen international and regional frameworks to prevent it.
Indeed, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, recently reminded us that we are moving towards, and I quote, a “dangerous and unchartered territory, without the guardrails which have helped to stabilise, and sustain, global security in the past.”
It has therefore never been more urgent, to uphold the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Colleagues,
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the SEANFWZ Treaty.
The Treaty is a cornerstone of ASEAN’s security architecture, and a key instrument in the region’s role in global disarmament efforts, amid an ever more complex security landscape.
Timor-Leste’s accession to the SEANWFZ Treaty by the 47th Summit, will further expand the geographical scope of the treaty, and complement our broader regional security architecture, in shaping strategic norms and expectations in our part of the world.
Colleagues,
We can take pride in the fact that our region has remained free of nuclear weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction.
While the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty has yet to be signed, ASEAN has made significant strides in advancing the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, particularly through ongoing cooperation with the IAEA in the fields of agriculture, medical diagnostics, food technologies, among others. This further reaffirms ASEAN’s commitment to harnessing the peaceful civilian applications of nuclear science in accordance with the objectives of the SEANWFZ Treaty, in line with the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Yet, as we celebrate these achievements, it is deeply concerning that Southeast Asia remains, the only nuclear weapon-free zone that has not been formally recognised by the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), through the signing and ratification of the Treaty’s Protocol.
In this regard, we welcome the readiness by the nuclear weapon states to engage with ASEAN, with a view towards the signing and ratification of the Protocol. It is therefore incumbent upon ASEAN to respond constructively and with urgency.
We must work collectively to create the necessary conditions for the NWS to take this important step, including by resolving outstanding issues with the NWS in accordance with the principles and objectives of the Treaty.
We have a responsibility to ensure that the Treaty remains not just a legal instrument, but a living, dynamic commitment, that contributes meaningfully to regional and global disarmament efforts.
With the existential threat to humanity that nuclear arms pose, I call upon all ASEAN Member States, to remain united in our pursuit of a nuclear-weapon-free Southeast Asia.
I look forward to our deliberations today, and the valuable ideas you will bring to the table.
Thank you.
--BERNAMA