SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bernama): The Philippines has called for Asean to strengthen regional crisis communication and coordination after the conflict in West Asia exposed the bloc's vulnerability to disruptions affecting energy security, trade and food supply chains.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro said ASEAN's heavy reliance on stable energy flows, maritime trade and global supply chains left the region highly exposed to external shocks.
"The situation has shown how geopolitical tensions can quickly translate into geoeconomic vulnerabilities.
"Any disruption to major energy and shipping routes can affect fuel prices, electricity generation, industrial production, food and fertiliser costs, and inflation across our trade-dependent economies," she told Bernama in a written interview.
Lazaro said the crisis underscored that energy and food security could no longer be viewed solely in terms of stable supply and prices but had become strategic concerns shaped by geopolitics, climate change, maritime security, infrastructure gaps and supply chain concentration.
As ASEAN Chair, Lazaro said the Philippines had helped shape the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the Response to the Middle East Crisis by bringing together political-security and economic perspectives and was now working with ASEAN member states to implement its practical actions.
"Looking ahead, ASEAN may also need to further explore clearer protocols for crisis communication and coordination, including at the Foreign Ministers' level, so that the region can respond in a more timely and coordinated manner as crises unfold," she said. -- BERNAMA
