ASEAN 2025: Malaysia Committed To Ensuring Southeast Asia Remains Nuclear Weapon-free 

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, as the current ASEAN chair, has reaffirmed its dedication to keeping Southeast Asia a nuclear-weapon-free zone in line with the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ).

According to the Foreign Ministry in a statement here on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stated this while delivering the country’s statement via a recorded message at the 2025 High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb 24.

He highlighted the urgency of advancing the disarmament agenda amid rising geopolitical tensions and the persistent threat of nuclear weapons, noting that the total elimination of nuclear weapons remains the only absolute guarantee against their use. 

He also called on nuclear-weapon states to honour their disarmament commitments, urging them to engage in good-faith negotiations to advance multilateral disarmament initiatives.

As the fifth President of the CD this year, Malaysia aims to facilitate meaningful discussions towards tangible progress in nuclear disarmament, the statement read.

Mohamad underscored Malaysia’s advocacy for the principles of inclusivity and multilateralism, stressing that collective action is essential in addressing global security challenges, including nuclear proliferation.

Malaysia’s ongoing engagement in the CD reflects its unwavering commitment to a world free of weapons of mass destruction and to global peace and security, it added.

-- BERNAMA