Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Hasan said the bloc must be a voice of reason to promote dialogue, diplomacy and strategic trust, creating space for cooperation.
“The external pressures on our unity will grow. The call for us to take sides will get louder. The crises around the world may multiply. Amid the uncertainty and unprecedented strain of global challenges, ASEAN must stand firm,” he said at the opening of a plenary session.
Except for his opening remarks, the session was closed to the media, as was the foreign ministers’ retreat later in the day.
His Indonesian counterpart Sugiono also emphasised the importance of collective and strategic efforts.
“We are at a very crucial point. Geopolitical rivalries and global protectionist trends continue to increase and risk eroding regional unity and relevance,” Sugiono said at the plenary session, according to a statement on Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry website.
“Geopolitical and geo-economic affairs can no longer be separated. If ASEAN wants to remain relevant, it must be able to face all of this.”
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan held a wide-ranging discussion with his regional counterparts on the deepening of the bloc’s economic integration, strengthening supply chain resilience, and harnessing the potential of the digital and green economies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the meet “reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to uphold an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture, including through ongoing efforts to expand and strengthen cooperation with its external partners”.
MFA added that the meet agreed on the importance of accelerating the establishment of the ASEAN Power Grid to advance the region’s clean energy transition efforts and strengthen collective energy security.
Additional reporting by Rashvinjeet S Bedi
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-pm-anwar-ibrahim-slam-tariffs-asean-meet-starts-5228316
