Eight countries in the ten-nation ASEAN, including crisis-hit Myanmar, voted in favour of the non-binding United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on March 2, 2022, which "Deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2 (4) of the Charter". The UNGA Resolution reaffirms the United Nations' "commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters".
Two of the ASEAN Countries, Laos and Vietnam, abstained from voting. One must also mention that the Myanmar delegation to the United Nations - which voted in favour of the UNGA Resolution - does not represent the currently ruling military junta.
According to international media sources, the 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly, which adopted the resolution on "Aggression Against Ukraine”, is the first stance - in the past 40 years - when the Security Council defers the debate on a crisis to the UNGA. It is also the first emergency session of the 193-member UNGA since 1997.
At ASEAN level, on March 3, 2022, the Foreign Ministers of the member states have issued a joint statement calling for "for an immediate ceasefire or armistice and continuation of political dialogues that would lead to sustainable peace in Ukraine", showcasing the Southeast Asian association is "deeply troubled by the intensifying gravity of the situation and ensuing worsening humanitarian conditions resulting from the ongoing military hostilities in Ukraine".
On the same note, the Southeast Asian high-level officials showcased that "ASEAN stands ready to facilitate, in any possible way, peaceful dialogue among parties concerned."
Certainly, the ASEAN official statement stresses the regional association's consistent belief that long-lasting peace can be achieved only through peaceful dialogue and negotiation, able to generate consensus. The unanimously adopted position clearly follows the spirit of the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, of whom Russia is – inter alia – a signatory party. On the other hand, one may notice that, as in a similar ASEAN statement issued during the week, the regional association refrained from directly criticizing Russia.
Among the ASEAN members, Singapore and Indonesia seem to have been the only countries so far to have also adopted a stronger stance on the Ukraine crisis through the individual statements of their Foreign Ministers.
In the context of the Ukrainian crisis, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, stressed the importance of international law and United Nations Charter in the international arena: “Indonesia's foreign policy has always been consistent when it comes to the implementation of international law, and the United Nations Charter, including respect for territorial integrity and respect for sovereignty. This principle must be respected by all countries.” The Indonesian top-diplomat also added that “De-escalation must be carried out. Once again, this is in line with what is stated in our constitution for peace. We hope that talks between Ukraine and Russia could produce good results.” Indonesia also called for a peaceful solution based on dialogue and diplomacy during an emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, February 28, 2022, in what could be considered a demarche to further isolate Russia in the international arena. Jakarta, however, has not made any specific references to Russia in its respective statements.
According to the Singaporean Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, the city-state will adopt comparatively harsher attitude towards Kremlin, by imposing unilateral sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine in order to defend the rights to independence and territorial integrity of the smaller states, with which Singapore identifies. According to the Singaporean high-dignitary, “it is all too easy for a small country to be caught up in the geopolitical games of big powers. Small countries must avoid becoming sacrificial pawns, vassal states or “cat’s paws” to be used by one side against the other.”According to the chief of the Singaporean diplomacy, his country’s government will act in concert with "like-minded nations" in order to impose export controls on goods "that could be used directly as weapons in Ukraine, to inflict damage or to subjugate Ukrainians." The Singapore government similarly declared his intention to block certain Russian banks and financial transactions related to Moscow. According to the chief of Singaporean diplomacy, specific measures in this regard will be announced "soon".
Based on the official sources identified so far, it could be interpreted that the individual reaction of other Southeast Asian countries has been rather mild. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri issued a statement to convey his “sadness” over the developments in Ukraine, showcasing his country is “seriously concerned over the escalation of conflict in Ukraine, and strongly urges all concerned parties to immediately take steps to de-escalate and prevent loss of lives and devastation”. Vietnam has been calling for a diplomatic solution before the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The statements issued by Thailand focused on the evacuation of the Thai nationals from Ukraine, through the Thai Embassy in Bucharest. According to a tweet of the Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, issued on February 25th, the high-level dignitary would travel to Ukraine’s border with Poland to ensure the safety of Filipinos fleeing the Eastern European country.
A strong – and rather discordant – reaction came on behalf of Myanmar’s ruling junta, which reportedly declared that Russia was acting to maintain its sovereignty and praised Moscow’s role in balancing the global power. The remarks came amid recent allegations of a UN special rapporteur who named Russia along with China and Serbia as countries continuing to arm the Myanmar junta, in spite of the ongoing rights abuses.
Clearly, one may interpret the rather lenient individual reaction of the Southeast Asian countries as a cautious analysis of the situation, expected to develop in the following weeks. While Russia has been a constant defence provider in the region, the future Southeast Asian countries stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is highly relevant as an expression of the region's neutrality and the need to urge all major powers to abide by international law with no reservation.
One may also considera possible variance between the individual statements of the Southeast Asian member countries, the statement jointly issued by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the UNGA Resolution on Ukraine, as all three positions seem to bolster a gradually stronger stance on the Ukraine crisis. Such a differentiation could further suggest – as mentioned above – a careful analysis of the on-going situation is currently being conducted and, based on the evolution of the conflict, a stronger positioning of the individual states could be envisaged.
Ultimately, while one may comment that Southeast Asia is caught in the US-China competition in the larger Asia-Pacific, it might become an impetus for the countries in the region to address and condemn any breech of international law as an expression of their sincere stance of neutrality, their founding principles and their consensual will to prevent conflicts arisen from major powers competition.
G.S.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA.