PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah yesterday stressed the need for Asean to remain united and relevant.
This is to maintain Asean’s central role as a key driving force effective and responsive in dealing with future opportunities and challenges, the leaders said in a joint statement after the 24th Malaysia-Brunei Darussalam Annual Leaders’ Consultation in Putrajaya.
They reaffirmed their commitment to continue working with Asean dialogue partners and maintain the bloc’s outward-looking approach based on mutual interests and benefits to advance Asean’s community-building efforts.
The leaders discussed the recent developments in Myanmar and expressed strong concerns regarding the ongoing violence in the country.
“Both leaders called on Myanmar to fully implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and reiterated the unified position that the 5PC remains Asean’s main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar,” said the statement.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work closely within Asean and other external partners, including the United Nations, to encourage progress in the implementation of the 5PC in its entirety, in line with the Asean leaders’ decision at the 42nd Asean summit, with the end goal of finding a peaceful and durable solution, in the interests of the Myanmar people.
On another note, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories was also discussed by both leaders, where they noted with concern that this year marked the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, according to the statement.
Nakba refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“The leaders called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) and members of the international community to demand that the occupying power halt its heinous crimes against humanity apartheid policies against the Palestinians, with a view to end the occupation and achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, in line with international law and all relevant UNSC resolutions,” said the statement.
Both leaders reaffirmed their unwavering position that Palestinians have the right to an independent and sovereign state of their own, based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, it said.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his consort, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, arrived on Wednesday for a three-day state visit here until today.
— Bernama
