The 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting

About

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) is one of ASEAN’s key annual platforms where the foreign ministers of ASEAN Member States meet to discuss and coordinate regional diplomacy, political-security cooperation, and ASEAN’s external relations.

The 58th AMM was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from July 8-11, 2025 under the chairmanship of Malaysia, which leads ASEAN in 2025 under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.

Significant progress was made across the following pillars:

ASEAN Community Building: focus was on regional integration, peace, and the upcoming full membership of Timor-Leste as the 11th Member State at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025.

ASEAN Political-Security Community: commitments were made to nuclear non-proliferation, combating transnational crimes, and upholding maritime stability.

ASEAN Economic Community: the Ministers highlighted ASEAN’s economic resilience, trade agreements, and advancements in digital transformation and sustainable development.

ASEAN External Relations: emphasised stronger partnerships and cooperation with various international bodies.

Regional and International Issues: the Ministers discussed pressing regional and international issues, including concerns in the South China Sea, Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, Ukraine, and the Middle East, while reaffirming ASEAN's commitment to diplomatic solutions and humanitarian efforts.

Participants that attended this year’s AMM included:

Foreign ministers and senior officials from 10 ASEAN member states

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn

The ASEAN Secretariat delegation

Heads of ASEAN bodies

Representatives from Timor-Leste, which is currently participating as an observer

Delegates from external partners and dialogue countries, who will join subsequent Post-Ministerial Conferences.

Looking ahead, the Ministers expressed support for the 59th AMM, Post-Ministerial Conferences, 27th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 16th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum - all of which are scheduled to be held in the Philippines in 2026.

The Meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission

Chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, the SEANWFZ Treaty Commission convened in Kuala Lumpur on July 8, 2025, to deliberate key regional security and non-proliferation issues

What is the SEANWFZ Treaty?

A treaty signed in 1995 establishing Southeast Asia as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. It came into force on March 27, 1997.

Members include all ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

The treaty:
- Prohibits development, acquisition, transportation, testing, stationing or use of nuclear weapons in the region.
- Encourages peaceful and safe nuclear energy use and waste disposal.
- Commits to disarmament and non-proliferation.

This treaty marks the establishment of a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Southeast Asia, making it one of the five NWFZs in the world. The other four NWFZs are in Latin America and the Caribbean, South Pacific, Africa, and Central Asia.Members include all ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

Top Takeaways from the 2025 SEANWFZ Meeting

The following highlights capture the main issues deliberated at the SEANWFZ Commission Meeting, which marked the Treaty’s 30th anniversary.

1. Rising Global Nuclear Tensions

Ministers raised alarm over the growing strain on global nuclear agreements, driven by mistrust among nuclear powers and the continued expansion and modernisation of nuclear arsenals, raising fears of a new arms race.

2. The Risk from Emerging Tech

New technologies like cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing are now part of military systems, making them more vulnerable and unpredictable.

ASEAN leaders warned that these shifts may have made nuclear weapons even more dangerous today than during the Cold War.

3. Failing Disarmament Mechanisms

Conflicts like the prolonged war in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East, including Israel’s attack on Iran, were cited as reminders of how close the world is to potential nuclear escalation.

4. Iran and Nuclear Site Safety

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported no evidence of Iran pursuing nuclear weapons.

It also reaffirmed a core principle: nuclear facilities should never be targeted, no matter the situation.

5. Nuclear Weapons Still on Hair-Trigger Alert

Some Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) still keep their weapons on high-alert status, serving as a reminder of the catastrophic risks and the urgent need to strengthen both regional and global safeguards.

The UN's top disarmament official warned that the world is drifting into instability without the guardrails that once kept nuclear tensions in check.

6. Southeast Asia’s Treaty Still Lacks Recognition

A significant concern highlighted was that Southeast Asia remains the only nuclear weapon-free zone not formally recognised by the NWS through the signing and ratification of the Treaty’s Protocol.

ASEAN welcomed signs of openness from some NWS but stressed the need for more concrete, timely action.

Leaders agreed that the SEANWFZ Treaty must be more than a legal document. It should remain a living, evolving commitment that shapes disarmament efforts regionally and globally.

7. A Call for ASEAN Unity

Given the existential threat posed by nuclear arms, there was a call for all ASEAN Member States to remain united in the pursuit of a nuclear-weapon-free Southeast Asia

Key Outcomes

1. Progress on the SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol

China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation

The Executive Committee of the SEANWFZ Commission is still exploring the possibility of allowing individual Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to sign and ratify the Protocol without reservations, as long as they provide formal written assurance of their commitment in advance to go ahead with the signing.

ASEAN welcomes any NWS ready to do so and reaffirmed its commitment to continuously engage all NWS to resolve outstanding issues.

ASEAN experts are encouraged to explore ways to bridge differences, including engaging with NWS experts

2. Timor-Leste's Accession to SEANWFZ

Ministers looked forward to the entry into force of the Addendum to the SEANWFZ Treaty and the subsequent accession of Timor-Leste by the 47th ASEAN Summit

The urgency of completing internal legal procedures to enable Timor-Leste’s timely accession was strongly emphasised.

3. Support for NPT and Vietnam's Nomination

Ministers urged all States Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to renew their commitment to its full and effective implementation, particularly Article VI

They supported the nomination of Vietnam as the President of the 11th NPT Review Conference in 2026

– BERNAMA

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface Meeting with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface Meeting with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives is an annual dialogue that serves as a key platform for coordination between ASEAN’s foreign ministers and its human rights body, the AICHR.

Key Participants

Participants that attended the 2025 Interface Meeting on July 8, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur include:

ASEAN Foreign Ministers and senior officials from all 10 member states

ASEAN Secretary‑General, Dr Kao Kim Hourn

10 AICHR representatives or their alternates

the AICHR Chair, Edmund Bon Tai Soon and senior secretariat staff and

Timor‑Leste’s observer delegation.

2025 Meeting Highlights

This year’s Interface meeting covered the development of two declarations:

the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment; and

the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace, Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

The AICHR also presented its Five-Year Work Plan (FYWP) for 2026-2030, and its Priority Programmes and Activities for 2026. Both were approved during the meeting.

Additionally, the AICHR submitted its 2025 Annual Report for notation.

The meeting provided an opportunity for open exchanges between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and AICHR Representatives on the state of human rights in the region. It also reaffirmed AICHR’s role in helping ASEAN achieve its Community Vision 2045, which aims to build a peaceful, inclusive, and resilient ASEAN.

Outcomes

Following the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface Meeting with AICHR representatives on July 8, AICHR Chair and Malaysia’s representative Edmund Bon Tai Soon announced that the commission aims to adopt two key declarations at the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit in October:

the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace, Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development

Both declarations have been under development for the past two years and are now close to finalisation.

The AICHR is also holding workshops to develop a template or framework that ASEAN can use when conflicts arise - whether between countries or within a member state.

In addition, the 7th ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue is scheduled to take place later this year, continuing AICHR’s efforts to strengthen regional dialogue and cooperation on human rights.

Edmund also shared that Malaysia has proposed 18 November to be designated as ASEAN Human Rights Day.

About the AICHR

The AICHR was established in 2009 at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Cha-Am Hua Hin, Thailand. It serves as the principal body overseeing human rights cooperation within ASEAN.

AICHR members, also known as Representatives, are recommended by their respective governments. Representatives serve a term of three years that can be renewed once.

There are currently 10 AICHR Representatives, one from each ASEAN member state. As part of ASEAN’s organisational structure, the AICHR reports to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers.

-- BERNAMA

Signing Ceremony of the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)

On July 9, 2025, Uruguay and Algeria became the latest countries to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). Representatives from both countries were present for the signing ceremony, which was held on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What is the TAC?

The TAC is ASEAN’s first legally binding treaty and remains one of ASEAN's key instruments for promoting peaceful interstate relations.

Established in 1976, the TAC embodies universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among states in Southeast Asia and beyond the region. Countries that have joined the treaty also agree to work together in areas like the economy, education, science, technology, and government.

The treaty has been updated three times - in 1987, 1998, and 2010 - to allow more countries outside Southeast Asia, as well as regional organisations made up of independent countries, to join.

As of July 2025, 57 countries and organisations - also known as High Contracting Parties (HCPs) - have officially joined the treaty.

The Countries Bound by the Treaty

The TAC originally bound the five founding ASEAN states in 1976: Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, who signed and ratified it domestically soon after.

It was expanded to include new ASEAN members - Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia - as they joined the bloc between 1984 and 1999.

Since 1987, the treaty has been open to non-ASEAN countries and entities. Papua New Guinea was the first non-ASEAN country to join in 1989. By 2025 a total of 57 countries and regional organisations have joined the TAC, including major global players like China, India, Japan, the US, and the EU.

What Joining the TAC Means

Once acceded, countries agree to uphold the six TAC principles:

Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations;

The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;

Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;

Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means;

Renunciation of the threat or use of force;

Effective cooperation among themselves.

They also gain the right to participate in the treaty’s institutions.

One such institution is the High Council which is comprised of minister-level representatives from each party, empowered to address disputes through mediation, inquiry, or conciliation.

However, the High Council has never been convened, mainly due to ASEAN’s preference for informal diplomacy and consensual dispute resolution outside formal bodies.

What’s Next?

ASEAN is preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of the TAC in 2026.

As part of the lead-up to this milestone, a second Conference of the HCPs to the TAC is scheduled to take place in August 2025 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. This will bring together treaty members to reflect on the TAC’s role in maintaining peace and cooperation over the decades.

ASEAN is also working towards the adoption of a resolution at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to commemorate the TAC’s 50th anniversary.

-- BERNAMA

15th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is a forum for strategic dialogue, bringing together ASEAN’s 10 member states and eight major powers, including the US, China, India and Russia.

This year’s summit was held in Malaysia on July 10, 2025, alongside the ASEAN Summit and chaired by Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Key Participants

Participants expected to attend the 2025 EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting include:

ASEAN Foreign Ministers and senior officials from all 10 member states

Foreign ministers and representatives from eight other countries namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN

Discussion Highlights

This year’s meeting is a continuation of some of the 2024 themes. However, much of the focus has now shifted to deepening practical cooperation, in light of ongoing geopolitical tensions and other transnational issues.

1. Progress of EAS Plan of Action

The EAS Plan of Action (2024-2028) continues to provide the guiding framework, and its progress was noted.

2. Strengthening Collaboration for Emerging Challenges

The importance of enhancing EAS collaboration was recognised, particularly across the EAS workstreams and the four priority areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

3. Encouraging Regular Engagement

There was strong encouragement for more frequent and structured engagement between the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN and non-ASEAN Ambassadors of EAS participating countries based in Jakarta.

Key Outcomes

1. 20th Anniversary and Kuala Lumpur Declaration

The meeting welcomed the 20th anniversary of the EAS and looked forward to the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the anniversary

This declaration aims to reaffirm the EAS' strategic value and relevance and its responsiveness to an evolving global landscape.

2. Deepening Practical Cooperation

The meeting agreed to intensify practical cooperation across the EAS workstreams.

This is aimed at improving coordination, implementation, and follow-through on EAS Leaders’ statements, declarations, decisions and initiatives.

3. Adoption of Thematic EAS Statements

The Ministers looked forward to the adoption of several thematic EAS Statements at the 20th EAS, including those on:

Promoting Localisation in Anticipatory Action for Disaster Preparedness and Response

Combating Online Scams and Related Transnational Crime Issues

Strengthening EAS Cultural Cooperation

Strengthening Energy Cooperation

Inclusive Digital Economy

4. Future EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The Ministers looked forward to the convening of the 16th EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippines in 2026.

– BERNAMA

The 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum

Under Malaysia’s chairmanship, the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) advances its mission to transform dialogue into concrete action amid rising geopolitical and transnational threats.

In his opening remarks at the 2025 ARF, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan urged concrete reforms to address escalating security threats.

Urgent Challenges

The minister highlighted critical threats demanding immediate attention:

Maritime Tensions: "Raising the risk of miscalculation" in key waterways.

Cyber Threats: Escalating attacks that are undermining infrastructure and eroding public trust.

Climate Change: Now a direct driver of insecurity and displacement, and no longer seen as a distant risk.

Four-Point Reform Agenda

As 2025 ARF Chair, Malaysia pushed for institutional revitalisation:

1. Responsiveness:

Prioritise swift reactions to crises like humanitarian emergencies and conflict prevention.

2. Action-Oriented Approach:

Bridge the gap between ambition and implementation via joint projects in maritime security, counter-terrorism, and disaster response.

3. Enhanced Coordination:

Strengthen synergy with other ASEAN-led mechanisms.

4. Inclusivity:

Preserve consensus among the 27-member forum despite diverse perspectives.

The 2025 ARF was held in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, alongside the 2025 ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which took place from July 10-11.

The 33rd ARF is scheduled to be convened in the Philippines in 2026.

Key Discussions/Outcomes of the 2025 ARF

1. Revitalisation of ARF

Emphasis on the need to revitalise ARF to maintain its relevance amid evolving regional security challenges.

Call for a "holistic and comprehensive approach" to enhance ARF’s effectiveness, substantive dialogue, and interactive engagement among participants.

2. Advancement to Preventive Diplomacy

ARF participants were urged to progress from confidence-building measures (Stage I) to preventive diplomacy (Stage II) under the 1995 ARF Concept Paper.

Stressed adherence to the ARF Preventive Diplomacy Work Plan.

3. Implementation of Key Documents

Extended the Hanoi Plan of Action II (HPOA II) until 31 December 2025.

Agreed to develop a new ARF Plan of Action (POA) for adoption in 2026.

4. Regional Security Challenges

Addressed escalating tensions in the South China Sea, Myanmar, Korean Peninsula, Ukraine, and Gaza, urging peaceful resolutions and compliance with international law.

Supported ARF’s role in facilitating dialogue on these issues (such as the Korean Peninsula denuclearisation).

5. Broader Regional Engagement

Advocated for cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), tasking ASEAN Secretariat to draft cooperation plans per existing MoUs.

What is the ARF?

Established in 1994, the forum is Asia-Pacific's premier security dialogue platform.

It facilitates constructive discussions on political and security issues among 27 participant countries, aiming to build trust, enhance cooperation, and promote preventive diplomacy.

Key goals include conflict prevention, disaster relief coordination, counter-terrorism, and maritime security.

Participants

The ARF comprises 27 members.

Ten ASEAN States: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Dialogue Partners (17): Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, ROK, Russia, USA, Bangladesh, North Korea (DPRK), Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea (observer).

Decisions are consensus-based, reflecting ASEAN centrality.