EU, ASEAN call for 'rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access' in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday expressed "grave concerns" over developments in the Middle East, and condemned the attacks against civilians.

In a joint statement following the 24th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the two regional blocs said they agreed to condemn all attacks against civilians, and "we noted the call of some of us for a durable ceasefire" in Gaza.

"We called for rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need, including through increased capacity at border crossings and through a dedicated maritime route," said the statement.

It called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, refrain from targeting them, and abide by international law, including international humanitarian law.

The EU and ASEAN also called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of all hostages, especially women, children, the sick and the elderly, while "some of us" raised the importance of release from arbitrary detention.

Although the statement did not specifically name which party is responsible for the "arbitrary detention," Israel has long been accused by the international community of "arbitrary detention" and "forced disappearance."

The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor recently asserted that several Palestinians have been "tortured to death" in Israeli army detention camps.

It said that preliminary estimates suggest that more than 3,000 Palestinians, including 200 women and young girls, have been detained by Israeli forces.

The statement urged all parties to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict with a view to realizing the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders in accordance with international law and the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

"We took note, and some of us underlined the importance of, the order on provisional measures issued by interim ruling by the International Court of Justice on 26 January 2024," it added.

Israel has killed more than 27,000 people in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Hamas, which took the lives of 1,200 people and took 240 as hostages. The military onslaught has caused mass displacement and destruction and created conditions for famine.

- South China Sea

The joint statement said that the parties reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, in accordance with international law.

"We reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of all activities and avoid actions that could increase tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation, as well as to pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law," it noted.

On the war in Ukraine, the EU and ASEAN said most members "strongly condemned" the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing "immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy - constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks."

"There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions," it said, adding that they continue to reaffirm, as for all nations, the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Also expressing "grave concern" over the surge in North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile testing, the statement noted that it constitutes a "flagrant violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions."

"We urged the DPRK to cease these launches and to refrain from nuclear tests. In this regard, we stressed the importance of endeavors to de-escalate the situation and to resume peaceful dialogue amongst all parties concerned in order to realize lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.