Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On April 13, 2026, the Second ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Special Meeting on the Middle East Situation was held via video conference. As the ASEAN Chair, His Excellency Sihasak Puanquejo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, chaired the meeting and delivered a speech. Diplomatic officials from the 10 ASEAN member states held in-depth discussions on the development of the Middle East situation, regional security cooperation, and the spillover effects of the conflict, reaching several consensuses.
The meeting focused on the developments in the US-Iran situation, expressing concern about the risk of continued escalation of regional conflict. In his address, Foreign Minister Puanquejo emphasized that military confrontation cannot solve the fundamental problems, and ASEAN firmly supports resolving disputes peacefully through diplomatic negotiations and mediation. He called on both the US and Iran to exercise restraint, restart the dialogue and consultation process, and promote a permanent ceasefire and sustainable peace. This position is highly consistent with ASEAN's consistent diplomatic principle of "non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes," and also echoes the international community's general expectation for stability in the Middle East. Regarding maritime security, the meeting reiterated the core importance of upholding international freedom of navigation and overflight, explicitly citing international legal norms such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and emphasized the strategic significance of the safe and unimpeded passage of vital international shipping lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz for global trade and energy supply chains. All parties agreed that the safety of seafarers and those involved in conflicts should be guaranteed, opposed any unilateral actions that endanger the safety of maritime passages, and called on relevant parties to strengthen communication and cooperation through multilateral mechanisms. To address the multifaceted spillover effects of the Middle East conflict on the ASEAN region, the meeting identified two key areas of focus and specific institutionalized measures:
Firstly, in the area of energy security: Accelerating the ratification process of the ASEAN Oil Security Agreement (APG) among member states to promote its early entry into force and implementation, thereby enhancing the region's emergency oil supply capacity; fully exploring the interconnectivity potential of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) and the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) to optimize regional energy resource allocation; increasing investment in renewable energy, focusing on promoting the development and utilization of clean energy such as solar energy and biofuels, accelerating the transformation of the regional energy structure, and reducing dependence on energy imports from the Middle East.
Secondly, in the area of food security: Expanding the ASEAN+3 (ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea) Emergency Rice Reserve Mechanism, extending the reserve categories from rice to key food commodities such as wheat and corn, thereby enhancing the region's emergency food security level; deepening cooperation across the entire food production, processing, storage, and logistics chain within the region, strengthening agricultural technology exchange and sharing, improving regional food self-sufficiency and supply chain stability, and mitigating the risk of global food price fluctuations triggered by the Middle East conflict. At the conclusion of the meeting, Foreign Minister Puangkho, on behalf of ASEAN, stated that as a regional multilateral organization with significant influence, ASEAN will continue to uphold multilateralism, actively participate in the Middle East peace process, and effectively mitigate various risks and challenges posed by external conflicts by strengthening internal mechanisms and deepening regional cooperation, thereby providing a solid guarantee for maintaining regional economic and social stability and sustainable development.
