TOKYO, September 6. /TASS/. ASEAN member states called on nuclear powers to remain adherent to arms control and non-proliferation mechanisms in their joint statement, adopted after the ASEAN summit in Jakarta.
"We expressed concern over the declining commitment and cooperation in global non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament mechanisms, and called on countries, especially Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), to maintain and fully implement their commitments under these mechanisms, including in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)," the statement reads.
ASEAN states called on nuclear powers to recognize the need for complete elimination of nuclear weapons and to make sure that these weapons are not used again under any circumstances.
The participants of the summit also reaffirmed their adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and expressed their support to the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The ASEAN Summit in Jakarta and the accompanying meetings will last until September 7.
ASEAN was established in 1967 and it unites 10 countries: Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. ASEAN maintains a strategic partnership status with China and the US.