ASEM concludes, avoids Rohingya issue in chair’s statement

The meeting of the foreign ministers of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) has avoided the Rohingya refugee issue in the chair’s statement adopted on the concluding day.

The 36-point Chair’s Statement titled “Strengthening Partnership for Peace and Sustainable Development” has not even mentioned the Rakhine State issue.

Established in 1996, ASEM is a platform for dialogue and cooperation on global issues. It brings together 30 countries from Europe and 21 from Asia, which collectively account for 60 percent of the global population.

Meetings of the leaders of those 51 countries and of their foreign ministers are held every two years, with the meetings held in alternate years.

This year, the foreign ministers’ meet was held at Myanmar at a time when over 600,000 Rohingyas had to flee “ethnic cleansing” and take shelter in Bangladesh in three months since Aug 25.

The persecution received huge global condemnation as Rohingya people have told of atrocities committed by security forces, including gang rapes, execution-style killings and the razing of entire villages.

The United Nations calls it to be “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

Myanmar authorities, however, have said the military operations in Rakhine were aimed at restoring stability and eliminating the threat of “terrorism” after about two dozen government security posts were attacked on Aug 25 by Muslim militants calling themselves the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.

The ASEM meet was hosted and chaired by Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor, who has been criticised for not doing enough to stop the violence.

The Chair’s statement did not say anything on Rohingya plight or the situation of the Rakhine State. Instead it highlighted the global terrorism issue.

The foreign ministers reiterated their views that “terrorism constitutes a serious threat to international peace, security, stability and development”.

They expressed their “determination to countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and relevant Conventions and Protocols, in particular human rights law, refugee law and international humanitarian law.”

They also emphasised the need for “a comprehensive approach in countering terrorism and violent extremism, without associating them with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.”

The next ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Spain in 2019. Before that, the EU offers to host the 12th Summit in Brussels next year.