Foreign ministers and defense force chiefs from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines signed a joint declaration on maritime security on Thursday, calling on all governments in the region to increase efforts to tackle marine threats, reports Jakarta Post.
The three officials hashed out details of joint patrols, including issues on how the exchange of information would take place between the three countries.
The leaders called for intensified maritime security following the recent kidnapping of seamen by the Southern Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf militant group, and other armed sea robberies, that have endangered national security in the region.
The three nations also agreed to:
- extend immediate aid to people and vessels in distress,
- establish a national focal point among the three countries to share information and intelligence in the event of emergency and security threats, and
- set up a hotline of communication among the three countries to better facilitate coordination during emergency situations and security threats.
Officials at the meeting are also reported to have discussed operating procedures to set out how cooperation in emergency situations will be put into action, and are drawing on experiences from information sharing and sea and aerial patrols in the Strait of Malacca.
The countries all expressed renewed commitment to the promotion of peace, stability and security in the region, as well as to addressing growing security challenges, especially transnational crime and terrorism. The agreement also confirms a mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, the statement said.