Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.

will seek a unified Association of Southeast Asian

Nations (Asean) stand on an international arbitration award that dismissed Chinas ninedash claim before the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers meeting this weekend in Laos.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Yasay will attend the Asean
Foreign Ministers meeting and related meetings from July 23 to 26 where he is expected
to raise the issue of the South China Sea disputes and the need for parties to abide by the
arbitral tribunal ruling last July 12.
READ: Philippines wins arbitration case vs. China over South China Sea
The Secretary will share the Philippines perspectives on ASEAN Community building,
the developments in the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula and pressing issues of
regional concern including violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illegal drugs, and
climate change, among others,the DFA said in a statement on Friday.
Earlier, Yasay called on Asean to issue a statement supporting the international arbitral
decision since four of its membersPhilippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysiaare
claimants to waters of the South China Sea. Other Asean members include Singapore,
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and Cambodia.
READ: Yasay asks intl community to help enforce UN ruling
Asean members have failed twice to issue a joint communiqu in a 2012 meeting in
Phnom Penh and recently in Kuala Lumpur, due to conflictings stand on sea disputes.
But Yasay said he is confident that after the arbitration award, Asean will support the rule
of law and peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea.
We already have the full support of the members of international community and we
hope Asean will come up with a unified statement, I say this, in the context of the fact,
that it will be important for Asean to have a unified statement, said Yasay in an interview
at the DFA on July 13, a day after the arbitration tribunal issued the award.
Yasay will also represent President Rodrigo Duterte in the Asean Regional Forum and
East Asia Summit and Asean Post Ministerial Conference where heads of governments
from Asean and dialogue partners US, China, India, European Union, India, Canada and
Australia will gather.
Issues on the South China Sea disputes, terrorism and denuclearization in the Korean
Peninsula are expected to dominate the discussions.
Yasay will also attend the meetings of the South East Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone
(SEANWFZ) Commission as well as the Asean ministers dialogue with representatives
of the Asean Intergovernmental Commission for Human Rights (AICHR) and Southwest
Pacific Dialogue.

The DFA said Yasay will also have bilateral meetings with several counterparts on the
sidelines of Asean meetings to discuss issues affec
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