EU-ASEAN summit ends without joint condemnation of Russia UN Council decides to expel Iran from women’s commission

The European Union has failed to convince the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to unanimously condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The closing statement of the first major summit of the two organizations in Brussels on Wednesday stated only that most participating states condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms.

Diplomats cited the position of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand as the reason. These three countries also abstained from the last major vote on a critical UN resolution on the war in Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said at a press conference that evening that it was known that even countries that did not support the resolution regarded the war as unjust. This is a good starting point for what you have planned. “No state has the right to invade another and nuclear threats are unacceptable,” he said. At the meeting, Scholz also represented French President Emmanuel Macron, who had traveled to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.

At the summit, the EU made it clear in principle that, despite differences, it wants to work more closely with the countries of Southeast Asia – also to limit the influence of China and Russia. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced investments of ten billion euros. The money is intended to strengthen the economy and independence of countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, create jobs and promote the fight against climate change.

Battle of the bids in geopolitics

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a bidding war was underway on the geopolitical scene. If you don’t want to be overtaken by other players, you need to get more involved and invest more. The ASEAN region has a vibrant economy and will “grow and grow” in the coming years.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, meanwhile, stressed that the EU-ASEAN partnership is not just running smoothly. You always face many difficulties. “So if we want to build a better partnership, it has to be based on equality,” he said. It cannot be that opinions are imposed or that one partner dictates to the other and believes their standards are better.

He did not say whether he also meant the criticism of an Indonesian law that prohibits sex outside marriage. Despite protests, the island state’s parliament passed a similar bill last week. Human rights activists had previously urged the House of Representatives not to approve the new rules because they violate civil rights in the largest Islamic country in the world. It is planned to enter into force in 2025.

The Summit of Heads of State or Government was organized to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between the EU and ASEAN. According to the EU, it was the very first in this large format. Until now, meetings have mostly taken place at ministerial level. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations currently includes Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. However, the Myanmar leadership has not been invited after the 2021 military coup.

At the summit, von der Leyen also assured that the EU would continue with the project for a free trade agreement with the ASEAN Association. “I think we should seize the opportunity now,” she said. Negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU and ASEAN had not progressed in the past and were interrupted.

At the summit, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior called on the EU to adjust its proposals for the agreement. “We call on the EU to align the scope and scope of its proposed free trade agreement with what ASEAN countries can currently collectively agree on,” he said. Then concrete progress could be made in the negotiations. Marcos will assume the presidency of the ASEAN Association next year.

According to the European Commission, the ten ASEAN countries together are one of the most important trading partners of the EU. They rank third after China and the US. The same applies vice versa: the EU is also the third most important trading partner for Asean. In 2021, the volume of trade in goods between the European Union and Asean will amount to almost €216 billion. The EU exports, among other things, chemicals and machinery to the countries, the ASEAN countries, for example agricultural products, textiles and clothing. Then there is the services sector: according to the European Commission, the volume in 2019 was 93.5 billion euros. However, so far only two bilateral trade agreements have been concluded between the EU and the ASEAN countries Vietnam and Singapore. (saw/sda/dpa)