19 October2014 - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, at the closing ceremony of the ASEM 10 Summit in Milan, reiterated the importance of international law as a great equalizer and the firm foundation in the settlement of disputes.

Secretary Del Rosario further added that peace, security and stability in the region may be achieved when members take moral responsibility to take determined actions in bridging the gap between problems and solutions. He promoted the Philippine proposal of the “Triple Action Plan” that should be pursued to address provocative activities in the region without prejudice to existing territorial claims.

“The Philippines maintains that the rule of law must be the firm foundation for the settlement of disputes and for countries which are not as strong as others, international law is the great equalizer and that especially when confronted by a powerful force, we must demonstrate that right is might,” remarked Secretary Del Rosario.

Under the theme of “Responsible Partnership for Growth and Security,” the 53 ASEM Heads of States and Governments, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union which is equally represented by the European Council and the European Commission, committed to enlarging the scope of Asia-Europe partnership. They acknowledged the need of the member states to act responsibility to address global and regional challenges such as environmental protection, protection of human rights, sustainable growth through structural economic reforms, non-traditional security issues like social and food security.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was established in 1996 to provide a dialogue for cooperation between Asia and Europe. The Summit is held every two years, alternatively in Asia and Europe. The next Summit in 2016 will be hosted by Mongolia. END