BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam Friday (May 8) attended the Opening Ceremony of the 48th Asean Summit; Plenary Session of the 48th Asean Summit; and Retreat Session of the 48th Asean Summit in Cebu City, the Philippines.
Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 48TH ASEAN SUMMIT
The arrival of His Majesty at Mactan Expo, Cebu, was welcomed by President of the Philippines Ferdinand R Marcos Jr and spouse First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos.
The Opening Ceremony of the 48th Asean Summit – which was also attended by other Asean leaders – commenced with the Asean anthem, ‘The Asean Way’, followed by welcoming remarks from the President of the Philippines as Chairman of Asean this year, in which he welcomed all leaders and delegates attending the 48th Asean Summit in Cebu City.
PLENARY SESSION OF THE 48TH ASEAN SUMMIT
His Majesty, along with other Asean leaders, then attended the Plenary Session of the 48th Asean Summit, which focused discussions on regional energy security and resilience; food security; and the safety of Asean nationals.
During the session, His Majesty welcomed the Philippines’ Chairmanship theme, ‘Navigating Our Future, Together’, which is fitting given the increasingly complex global environment Asean faces. Over the past two decades, Asean has faced many regional and international crises – including financial shocks, pandemics, and natural disasters – in which these experiences have demonstrated that Asean is strongest when it remains united, practical, and people-centred.
Touching on the current crisis in the Gulf, His Majesty highlighted that this serves as a further reminder that Asean’s challenges are closely interconnected, with volatile energy markets, higher prices, pressure on food production, rising logistics costs, and trade and investment uncertainty all affecting the region’s people directly.
His Majesty also welcomed the adoption of the Asean Community Vision 2045 as a clear long-term compass towards a resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centred Asean. To realise this vision, practical cooperation that strengthens resilience in areas of greatest importance is needed.
On energy cooperation, His Majesty expressed support for ongoing efforts to implement the Asean Petroleum Security Agreement, expand the Asean Power Grid, and advance the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline, and encouraged the exploration of energy security arrangements with dialogue partners, drawing on lessons from successful regional mechanisms.
Hence, Asean must address energy-food linkages to ensure food security, as rising fuel prices impact production, transport, fertilisers, and food costs across the region. In addition, the strengthening of emergency reserves such as Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), improving information-sharing, boosting productivity, and enhancing technology cooperation can build stronger safety nets for the region’s people.
In concluding the titah, His Majesty expressed the view that in times of crisis, Asean must never lose sight of the Asean family and noted the merit of enhancing consular assistance in third countries through joint contingency planning and rapid-response protocols.
As Asean navigates its future together, the region’s resilience will ultimately be judged by the practical difference it makes to the lives of its people, whether through stable energy, secure food supplies, or safer communities.
At the end of the Plenary Session, three outcome documents were adopted, namely: Cebu Protocol To Amend the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation; Asean Leaders’ Declaration on Maritime Cooperation; and Asean Leaders’ Declaration on the Response to the Middle East Crisis.
RETREAT SESSION OF THE 48TH ASEAN SUMMIT
At the Retreat Session held at Shangri-La Mactan, His Majesty and Asean leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues, including Asean’s capacity to manage and mitigate impacts arising from geopolitical tensions. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
