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"Timor-Leste President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Jose Ramos-Horta called for urgent multilateral cooperation and strategic dialogue to avert unfolding global security crises during a special address at the 2026 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday. Footage shows Ramos-Horta walking to the podium to make his address before later answering questions. Drawing heavily on his own country’s hard-won independence and decades of diplomatic mediation, Ramos-Horta reflected on how practical diplomacy transformed historic conflict into regional cooperation, positioning the ASEAN framework as a prime model for contemporary conflict resolution in the ongoing crises in the Middle East and Ukraine. “Wise leadership and dialogue can turn conflict into coexistence, coexistence into friendship and trust. ASEAN is a good example. It was not born in a tranquil epoch. We all remember.” “These are the thoughts of despair and hope that came to me as I watched the abysmal failure of global leadership resulting in the devastating wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, consequences of which reverberate across the world.” Ramos-Horta argued that true, sustainable security cannot be achieved merely through aggressive militarisation, warning that nations overburdened with weaponry remain dangerously vulnerable if they lack resilient infrastructure, stable food supplies, and secure energy grids to withstand modern shocks. “May the crimes in the Strait of Hormuz warn us, remind us not to be complacent in dealing with potential flashpoints,” he stated. Running from May 29-31, the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defence summit, bringing together defence ministers, military chiefs, and senior government officials from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond for open debate on regional security challenges and bilateral talks aimed at defusing geopolitical tensions. "
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