November 19, 2022
The 11th general assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) started on November 18 in Istanbul, Turkey, with 69 parties from 31 countries participating. Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo delivered a speech at the plenary session held on the same day.
The full text of Shii's speech is as follows:
Towards an Asia without fear of war and a world without nuclear weapons
Mr. Chairman, dear friends,
Congratulations on the opening of this Assembly.
On behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, I will make a statement: “Towards an Asia without fear of war and a world without nuclear weapons.”
Dear friends,
We come together here as the war is going on in the north of this beautiful Black Sea. The United Nations General Assembly on October 12th passed a resolution calling for the reversal of the Russian annexation and the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 143 countries.
I sincerely welcome this resolution and urge the Russian government to comply with it. It is extremely important the UN resolution calls for a peaceful resolution, including by dialogue and negotiations, in order to limit the escalation of the war.
From here Istanbul, as a consensus of Asian political parties, let us send a message to the international community that we will defend the UN Charter and call for a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiations.
Dear friends,
How can we create an Asia without fear of war?
The Asian continent has its own tensions and conflicts. But there is also a hopeful trend toward peace, and that is the initiative of the ASEAN. The ASEAN has transformed Southeast Asia into a community of peace through a series of intensive dialogues based on the Treaty of Amity and cooperation (TAC), which mandates the peaceful resolution of disputes.
It has extended the peace trend beyond its region. As its latest achievement, we are focusing on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which was adopted at the ASEAN Summit of 2019.
The AOIP is a grand vision that takes the TAC as its guiding principle, promotes dialogue and cooperation rather than confrontation, strengthens the East Asia Summit as an institution of peace and cooperation, and eventually lead to an East Asia-wide Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
We fully support this vision.
We believe that the most important aspect of this vision is to create an inclusive peace framework for all countries in the region, rather than a framework that excludes and encircles others.
I appeal to you, my friends, let us work together with the ASEAN to promote the AOIP and create an Asia without fear of war.
Dear friends,
Finally, I address the issue of nuclear weapons.
The ICAPP has called for a "world without nuclear weapons" in a series of General Assemblies such as in Astana, Phnom Penh, and Colombo.
I rejoice with my friends on those ICAPP's efforts which have contributed to the passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
I conclude my remarks by calling on the General Assembly to welcome this new treaty and to convey to the world our determination to achieve a "world without nuclear weapons.”
Thank you very much for listening!
The full text of Shii's speech is as follows:
Towards an Asia without fear of war and a world without nuclear weapons
Mr. Chairman, dear friends,
Congratulations on the opening of this Assembly.
On behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, I will make a statement: “Towards an Asia without fear of war and a world without nuclear weapons.”
Dear friends,
We come together here as the war is going on in the north of this beautiful Black Sea. The United Nations General Assembly on October 12th passed a resolution calling for the reversal of the Russian annexation and the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 143 countries.
I sincerely welcome this resolution and urge the Russian government to comply with it. It is extremely important the UN resolution calls for a peaceful resolution, including by dialogue and negotiations, in order to limit the escalation of the war.
From here Istanbul, as a consensus of Asian political parties, let us send a message to the international community that we will defend the UN Charter and call for a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiations.
Dear friends,
How can we create an Asia without fear of war?
The Asian continent has its own tensions and conflicts. But there is also a hopeful trend toward peace, and that is the initiative of the ASEAN. The ASEAN has transformed Southeast Asia into a community of peace through a series of intensive dialogues based on the Treaty of Amity and cooperation (TAC), which mandates the peaceful resolution of disputes.
It has extended the peace trend beyond its region. As its latest achievement, we are focusing on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which was adopted at the ASEAN Summit of 2019.
The AOIP is a grand vision that takes the TAC as its guiding principle, promotes dialogue and cooperation rather than confrontation, strengthens the East Asia Summit as an institution of peace and cooperation, and eventually lead to an East Asia-wide Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
We fully support this vision.
We believe that the most important aspect of this vision is to create an inclusive peace framework for all countries in the region, rather than a framework that excludes and encircles others.
I appeal to you, my friends, let us work together with the ASEAN to promote the AOIP and create an Asia without fear of war.
Dear friends,
Finally, I address the issue of nuclear weapons.
The ICAPP has called for a "world without nuclear weapons" in a series of General Assemblies such as in Astana, Phnom Penh, and Colombo.
I rejoice with my friends on those ICAPP's efforts which have contributed to the passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
I conclude my remarks by calling on the General Assembly to welcome this new treaty and to convey to the world our determination to achieve a "world without nuclear weapons.”
Thank you very much for listening!
