Dear Ministers,

The ASEAN Regional Forum is one of a kind. 

I want to thank our Malaysian hosts for organising this event.

It is good to see so many friends and partners of the European Union around the table. 

It is a real pleasure to be here today.

Dear Ministers

There are many phrases in naval history that are useful to describe the way countries operate in the international system: “to turn a blind eye” and “toe the line” being two good examples.

And in many ways, life itself on board of a ship mirrors international relations. There is a set of rules in place to keep the ship sailing smoothly. And there are always disgruntled sailors. 

Ships also have stabilisers to keep them steady in stormy seas. As the European Union is on our continent, ASEAN is in Asia. 

That is why the European Union and ASEAN can cooperate as we do. We have so much in common.

Like the European Union, ASEAN walks a delicate line between sovereignty and collective priorities; and just like us, the result is a culture of consensus-building and dialogue – the ‘ASEAN way’. 

ASEAN was also the EU’s first dialogue partner back in 1972. After China, the EU is ASEAN’s largest trading partner. The largest foreign investors in ASEAN are not China or Japan but the U.S. and the EU. And trade between our continents is at an all-time high and will only increase. Tariffs harm consumers and industries. Free trade is the firepower of our economies.

On such a solid basis, the European Union and ASEAN can do much more together. 

There is of course physical trade and there is also the trade in data, energy and information. We share an interest in a secure and functioning network of undersea cables.

I fully agree with Singapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, and what he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue this year, that the EU and ASEAN need to work together to defend our cables.  The EU has already committed one billion euro for surveillance and emergency repairs of cables. We should cooperate further on cable security.

Dear Ministers, 

The European Union’s stabilising power is why we have always grown stronger through crises, from economic turmoil to global pandemic. 

We were born from the ashes of world war. We grew further from the demise of a tyrannical Soviet empire. Aggression against Europe only strengthens our resolve to work together. 

In times of crisis, we say on our own continent that we need more Europe, not less. This region needs more ASEAN today, not less. Myanmar is only one example of why. 

ASEAN can keep diplomatic channels open and keep up the dialogue with civil society. ASEAN, as well as the European Union, can work for the people of Myanmar and keep their hope for change alive. And ASEAN will always have the European Union’s support in doing this.

Because aggression is only as contagious as we are willing to accept it. In this region, the European Union is also concerned about international law being challenged in the South and East China Seas, as well as DPRK’s persistent and dangerous escalatory behaviour. 

De-escalation is always achieved through cooperation and the courage to stand up for international law. 

In Europe, regardless of how Russia tries to destabilise Europe, it is clear for all to see that Ukraine does not want to be part of a new Russian empire. Ukrainians want their freedom, like everyone else. And they also deserve their freedom, like everyone else.

That is why there is a global coalition which is standing up for international law and which is supporting Ukraine to defend itself from this illegal invasion. It is why more than 60 countries are meeting in Rome right now and have pledged over one billion euro to support Ukraine’s recovery and rebuild the country after the war.

Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction is of course in Ukraine’s interest. But it is in our collective interest too. We are against aggression spreading, and we defend the rules-based system that protects countries from being swallowed up by bullies. We can only do this in partnership with others.

At this apex of global instability, Europe’s cooperation with Asia is stronger than ever. 

The new Security and Defence Partnerships with Japan and the Republic of Korea reflect this. A Security and Defence Partnership with India is now being discussed. And we have just opened a dialogue on security and defence with the Philippines. 

We are also negotiating Free Trade Agreements with Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. We have just reopened negotiations with Malaysia too. 

We are also increasing European Union investment in this region. From providing the Philippines with the data from our satellites to manage risks from natural disasters; to investing in the construction of the world’s largest semiconductor production plant of its kind, right here in Malaysia. And there are many more projects in our pipeline.

The future is bright for EU-ASEAN cooperation too.

We stand by our commitment to a region-to-region Free Trade Agreement between the EU and ASEAN. This is our long-term objective. We see the feeling is mutual. ASEAN’s investment in the EU is up by at least 20 percent in the last four years. 

Because when the seas are rough – as they are today – citizens and businesses need stability, reliability, and predictability. That is what the European Union and ASEAN both offer.

Dear Ministers,

We are living in world of clear and present danger. Global norms are under pressure and territorial integrity is being breached left, right and centre. But that is why – especially in the roughest of seas – we stick to what we know. 

As truth is our first line of defence, I really need to correct what Russia has said here. 

With the end of the World War and also fighting against Nazism, it wasn’t just the Russians who were fighting. It was actually, if you look into the facts, the Belarussians, Ukrainians, also Russians, but mostly Belarussians, Ukrainians and Lithuanians who were fighting Nazism. 

And it is true that the end of the Second World War, like you present the big victory, actually didn’t bring the end of suffering to many parts that were occupied by Russia.

As Russia says that it wants to maintain peace and stability, I just want to stress that to be believable, Russia should start from itself. 

Stop the indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians in Ukraine, and then you could be also credible in this regard. But you are doing this every single day, every single day.

And when some of you have regards that there are some root causes for conflicts, I want to stress that under international law, there are only two reasons to use force. One is self-defence and the other one is under the Resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations. There are no ‘root causes’ that give you the right to attack another country. 

And when you say that it is a question of where the line is, if we go down that road then really nobody is secure. Because in the United Nations, the borders have been agreed – the borders of our countries. If we say let’s open this discussion of where the line really goes, whether you can go and attack another country, to really open this debate, we all have history. None of us is safe.

That is why we know if some big countries believe the international order no longer suits them, all of us, all the rest pay the price. Especially the small countries, like in ASEAN as many of you are.

The very smallest countries are the first ones to suffer. I come from a very small country that has some experience in this. And there are so many countries in Southeast Asia who know this very well, like in Europe, that would suffer were this system of international law be turned on its head. Nobody wins in the end. The ship will run aground. 

That is why we keep choosing to cooperate. And why through cooperation we will improve the rules-based international order. 

The EU was founded on the idea that through shared prosperity we also build shared security. 

And this is where we find in ASEAN a natural partner to lead this work together.

We cooperate for the benefit of us all. 

Thank you.