Asean members see the need to help each other during energy crisis

MANILA, Philippines — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has urged its members to "prioritize" energy supply to fellow Asean and refrain from unnecessary trade restrictions in times of crisis. The Asean foreign ministers convened a second special meeting on April 13, via videoconference, to exchange views on the Middle East war and to address its implications on the region's energy, food security, and safety of their nationals. With a combined population of over 703 million as of March 2026, the Asean is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Vietnam. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro led the meeting as chairman of Asean 2026. She said her fellow leaders underscored the importance of "strengthening regional energy security and economic resilience." In a statement on Tuesday, Lazaro said the meeting saw the need for the 11-member regional bloc "to diversify energy sources, including renewable and alternative energy." She said the meeting "emphasized the value of Asean solidarity, economic integration, and coordination in policy, messaging, and joint efforts to navigate external economic shocks." It also discussed the need to "mitigate their potential impact and spillover effects on regional macroeconomic and financial stability, including on finance sectors, supply chains, the cost of living as well as the lives of peoples across Asean." "The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening regional connectivity, enhancing cooperation on energy preparedness and power integration," Lazaro said. It also explored a possible Asean foreign ministers’ "crisis communication protocol" that may be convened as needed to enable timely consultations, information-sharing, and policy coordination during major crises affecting the region, she added. Lazaro said the Asean leaders talked about "more diversified import sources, alternate shipping and logistics routes, and uninterrupted intra-Asean trade and investment flows, to help ensure stable access to affordable essential goods, food products, and agricultural inputs, across Asean." The meeting, she said, also discussed a "possible regional standby arrangement for food security to facilitate timely coordination of Asean member states during crisis and mitigate the impact on healthcare and pharmaceutical products, in order to strengthen regional preparedness and resilience." "The meeting underscored the importance of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, upholding international law, and promoting dialogue and diplomacy as the primary means of reducing tensions and addressing conflicts," Lazaro said.

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