Jakarta: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi complained that not a single Nuclear Weapon Country has signed the Protocol Agreement on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Area Commission (SEANFWZ).
At the opening of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Area Commission (SEANFWZ) Meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Retno said SEANFWZ had contributed to global disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.
"However, 25 years after the signing of the SEANFWZ Treaty Protocol, not a single Nuclear Weapon State has signed it," said Retno, Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
For Indonesia, Retno added, moving forward is the only option.
"The threat is imminent, so we can no longer wait. We cannot let the details cloud the bigger picture," Retno continued.
He emphasized that ASEAN must come as a united front before the Nuclear Weapons State. "Only then can we forge a clearer path to a region free of nuclear weapons," he said.
The SEANWFZ Agreement, also known as the Bangkok Agreement, was signed by all ASEAN member countries in December 1995.
The treaty stipulates that its signatories may not "develop, manufacture or acquire, possess or have control of nuclear weapons", "place or transport nuclear weapons by any means" or "test or use nuclear weapons".
The SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol is also open for signature by the five nuclear weapons states: China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France.
China will be the first of five countries to express willingness to sign up to the protocol.
At a summit with ASEAN leaders held on November 21, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing supports ASEAN's efforts to establish a nuclear weapons-free zone and is ready to sign the SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol as early as possible.
This commitment was reaffirmed by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang when receiving the visit of the Secretary General of ASEAN Kim Kao Hourn in Beijing on 27 March 2023.
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