THE POLICY OF THE ASEAN COUNTRIES TOWARD UKRAINE FOLLOWING RUSSIA’S FULL-SCALE INVASION

Abstract

The study is devoted to the analysis of the positions of the ASEAN countries toward Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion and the historical prerequisites for the formation of the official position of the ASEAN countries regarding the war in Ukraine. The historically neutral foreign policy course of the ASEAN countries is explained in view of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 1971 on the creation of a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality in the Southeast Asia subregion. The article provides the results of the monitoring of the interactive world map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for the existence of special conditions for entry and assistance for temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizens who leave the country due to the war, and about assistance centers for temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizens in ASEAN countries. An array of messages about Ukraine in ASEAN mass media since February 24, 2022, and the texts of speeches by public figures were analyzed for the purpose of properly condemning Russia as an aggressive violator of international law and using the correct terminology. Based on the study of the Strategy of Foreign Policy of Ukraine, the importance of Ukraine joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia dated 1976 is substantiated to ensure political support from ASEAN member states and guarantee an effective way of conveying information to the Southeast Asia subregion about international illegal acts committed by the aggressor state. It is recommended to strengthen the coordination of efforts between ASEAN member states and Ukraine for coordinated activities within the framework of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, etc.