ASEAN foreign ministers condemn extremists Quran burning

"This act of blasphemy has hurt and tarnished religious tolerance," according to a statement by the Chair of ASEAN's coordinating council meeting and foreign ministers' retreat, released today.

The annual gathering of the block's foreign ministers under Indonesia's Chairmanship stressed that freedom of expression must be exercised in a responsible manner.

They reaffirmed ASEAN's commitment to continue encouraging dialogue and understanding and promoting the spirit of peaceful co-existence to achieve peace and harmony in a diverse global community.

On Jan 21, Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) had burned a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in Denmark, days after he burned the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden.

In another earlier provocation, Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of an Islamophobic group, Pegida, also burned the pages of the holy Quran in The Hague on Jan 22, drawing the wrath of Muslims worldwide.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers also expressed concern about the recent surge in North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile testing and ballistic missile launches.

They stressed the importance of continued peaceful dialogue among all concerned parties in order to realise lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

"We urged all concerned parties to exercise utmost restraint, avoid actions and military reciprocations that may escalate the situation," foreign ministers said.

The situation in the South China Sea was also discussed as concerns were brought up by some ministers regarding land reclamations, recent developments and serious incidents which have eroded trust and confidence.

Therefore, ASEAN foreign ministers further reaffirmed the need to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes under international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.