MANILA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano met on Monday with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Foreign Minister Ri Hong-Yo to personally convey the position of ASEAN on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, a Philippine government statement said.
The statement said Cayetano, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting, presented the ASEAN statement to Ri shortly before the East Asia Summit foreign ministers meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center past noon Monday.
Cayetano's meeting with Ri came a few days after ASEAN foreign ministers issued a statement calling on the DPRK "to comply fully with its obligations under all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and international laws and for all concerned parties to exercise self-restraint so as not to further aggravate the situation in the Korean Peninsula."
"The statement was not borne out of lost friendship but is because of frustration that there seems to be no opening for discussions or dialogue to address the impasse on the issues in the Korean Peninsula," the Philippine foreign ministry statement quoted Cayetano as telling Ri.
"I have been tasked by my ASEAN colleagues to convey this to you personally and likewise affirm ASEAN's commitment to engaging your country within the ASEAN Regional Forum, given the importance of this platform for our continued discussions," Cayetano said.
"There is a sentiment across ASEAN that for this engagement to be truly productive and beneficial not just to ASEAN but to our region and the world, we need to ensure that there is a mutual openness and communication amongst us," he said.
The statement said that Cayetano told Ri, "We say this in the spirit of our common goal of maintaining peace and security for our peoples."
Ri thanked Cayetano for conveying the sentiments of his fellow ASEAN ministers, adding he understood the ASEAN position and assured Cayetano that the message would reach Pyongyang, according to the Philippine government statement.
