ARF officials agree on Pakistan's membership<\/p>\n
Agencies
\nYogyakarta<\/p>\n
India on Wednesday endorsed Pakistan's application to join a
\nregional security forum after an assurance that Pakistan would
\nnot use it as a platform to raise bilateral issues such as
\nKashmir.<\/p>\n
Officials from the 23-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) agreed
\nto admit Pakistan and will recommend the decision to their
\nministers who will meet in Jakarta in early July.<\/p>\n
\"The senior official meeting recommend the ARF members approve
\nPakistan admittance as a ARF participant, taking into account the
\nformal and solemn assurances of Pakistan,\" said a concluding
\nstatement of two-day meeting of senior officials of ARF's
\nexisting members held in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Pakistan has given an assurance through Indonesia that it
\nwill not raise Indian-Pakistani bilateral issues at the ARF,\"
\nSpokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Marty A.
\nNatalegawa said.<\/p>\n
At Wednesday's meeting India demanded that the Pakistani
\nassurance be mentioned in the recommendation, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the officials agreed to invite Pakistan to attend the
\nJakarta meeting on July 1-2.<\/p>\n
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last year
\nagreed to allow Pakistan to join the ARF. But India had in the
\npast blocked it on concerns that Pakistan would take issues like
\nKashmir to the forum.<\/p>\n
Nuclear-capable India and Pakistan have fought three wars
\nsince the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947. Relations have
\nthawed in the past year and they have launched a dialog process
\nto clear up all issues.<\/p>\n
The ARF includes the 10 ASEAN countries and partners
\nAustralia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, South
\nand North Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia,
\nand the United States.<\/p>\n
France, Britain, Kazakshstan, Kyrgyzstan, East Timor,
\nBangladesh and Sri Lanka have also applied to join the ARF,
\nNatalegawa said. He said these applications have not yet been
\ndiscussed.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/arf-officials-agree-on-pakistans-membership-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}