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Malaysia, Vietnam Support DPRK's Entry Into ARF
Malaysia and Vietnam Monday agreed to support the entry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) into the 22-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
The agreement was reached Monday between Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Dy Nien during their talks.
The matter will be discussed at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Bangkok next month, Syed Hamid told reporters after the meeting.
Both Malaysia and Vietnam are members of ASEAN, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Syed Hamid said the support was in line with Malaysia's policy of engagement with any countries and hoped Pyongyang's entry into ARF would further enhance the peace and security in the region.
Malaysia's attitude is that countries should not be disengaged, he said, adding they should be engaged and brought in, wherever it is possible, into organizations that engages in dialogues.
There is encouraging development in the Korean peninsula following the summit between the leaders of the two Koreas, for long-lasting peace, he said, adding with the DPRK's entry, the country would also subscribe to the objectives of the ARF.
The ARF, since its establishment in 1994, has become the primary forum for dialogue on Asia-Pacific security and now groups the 10 ASEAN members, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
Syed Hamid said he and his Vietnamese counterpart discussed the bilateral relations in various fields.
Dy Nien arrived here Sunday for a three-day official visit, his first since assuming the post on January 28, 2000.
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