On Oct. 20, Asean's foreign ministers issued a joint statement on the escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East.

Joint Statement

Asean's foreign ministers, gathered in Saudi Arabia for the first Asean - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, released a statement on the Israel-Hamas war.

The statement said that the bloc's member states were "gravely concerned" over the recent escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East, and called for the immediate end of violence in order to avoid further human casualties, as well as calling for the "full respect of International Humanitarian Law".

The statement also added its voice to that of others in calling for all parties to create a safe, rapid, and unimpeded passage of humanitarian corridors.

It strongly condemned the acts of violence that have led to deaths and injuries, including that of Asean nationals.

Negotiated two-state solution

It also reaffirmed support for a negotiated two-state solution that allows "both Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in peace and security consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions".

This, it said, would be the only viable path to resolving the root cause of the conflict.

This language echoed that of Singaporean leaders in their own letters of condolences to Palestinian leaders.

The statement further called on all parties to protect and ensure the safety and security of all civilians, including Asean nationals, as well as for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

It also re-emphasised the bloc's commitment to provide emergency assistance to Asean nationals.

The statement ended up urging the international community to support the peace process, in order to "ensure long lasting peace and stability in the region".

Varying levels of involvement

Several of the bloc's members have shown great concern during the conflict for differing reasons, with Thailand having a significant number of nationals working in Israel, of whom several were killed in the initial Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Singaporean leaders have expressed condolences, both to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks, and to the civilians in Gaza who were victims in the subsequent hostilities.

Asean is no stranger to ongoing violent conflicts itself, with its own concerns about fellow member Myanmar and the impact of its Feb 2021 coup and subsequent violent resistance.

It continues to bar the involvement of high level political leaders from Myanmar at summits, although Asean has invited "non political representatives". Myanmar initially refused to send such representatives.

However, the Myanmar ambassador to Saudi Arabia participated in some meetings.

Gulf Cooperation Council

Asean leaders, including Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, are in Saudi Arabia to attend the first Asean-GCC summit.

The GCC is a grouping of Gulf countries that include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman.

The summit has resulted in the release of the Asean-GCC Framework of Cooperation 2024-2028, which aims to realise the "full potential" of Asean-GCC collaboration.

Both blocs have committed to enhancing cooperation, particularly in the fields of political, economic, and connectivity development, to name but a few.

There was also an Asean-GCC statement released on the developments in Gaza, that condemned attacks against civilians and called for a "durable ceasefire".

It called on all parties to protect civilians, refrain from targeting them, and abide by international humanitarian law.

It also called for the immediate and unconditional release of civilian hostages, urging all parties to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

It also called for the support of initiatives by Saudi Arabia, the European Union, and League of Arab States to revive the Middle East peace process, and "resolve the dispute between Israel and its neighbours in accordance with international law and all UN resolutions on this conflict".

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Top image via Asean