Foreign Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have expressed outrage at the series of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt that resulted in the loss of innocent lives.

In a joint communiqu issued Tuesday at the end of ASEAN ministerial meeting in Vientiane, the foreign ministers strongly condemn such acts of terror and extend their sympathies to the victims and their families.

"We reiterated our strong condemnation of all acts of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasized the need to address the root causes of terrorism. We continue to reject any attempt to associate terrorism with any race, region, nationality or ethnic group.

"In this context, we are fully committed to enhance our cooperative efforts to combat international terrorism at national, regional and international levels," the communiqu said.

The ministers looked forward to continuing their determination to enhance coordination and cooperation with the international community in combating international terrorism.

"We believe this will ensure peace and stability, create an environment conducive to our efforts to attain sustainable development, progress and prosperity in ASEAN."

On transnational crimes, the ministers emphasized the important role of ASEAN in regional initiatives to combat transnational crimes identified under the Work Program to implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime.

"We welcomed the endorsement of the ASEAN Plus Three Concept Plan to implement cooperation in combating terrorism and transnational crime and the efforts of the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan and South Korea) to develop work programs to implement cooperation in the specific areas identified," the ministers said.

The one-day ASEAN ministerial meeting was attended by foreign ministers from 10-member bloc, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua