'PEACE!': ASEAN calls for restraint, end of hostilities amid Middle East conflict

Local

By Kaiser Jan Fuentes

SOUTHEAST Asian leaders issued a joint statement, tightening coordination on energy security, maritime safety, food supply stability, and crisis response.

This as rising tensions tied to the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East as it continue to affect the regional and global markets.

ASEAN expressed serious concern over the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, saying it threatens civilian safety and regional stability.

Based on the full copy of the statement, leaders welcomed a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan with support from other parties, and urged continued negotiations toward a lasting settlement.

The statement called on all sides to exercise restraint, end hostilities, and avoid escalation, while stressing diplomacy and dialogue as the primary path to resolution.

Reaffirming international obligations, ASEAN underscored compliance with the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law, and called for the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure, and humanitarian personnel.

On maritime security, the bloc reaffirmed freedom of navigation under UNCLOS while raising concern over unilateral actions that could disrupt passage through key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.

Leaders warned that instability in critical sea lanes could ripple through global trade and energy systems.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pointed to the strategic weight of the strait, saying, “As has been demonstrated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Hormuz is 20 percent of the entire oil supply of the world.”

ASEAN also emphasized keeping trade routes open and ensuring uninterrupted flow of essential goods such as food, energy, and medical supplies, while maintaining compliance with maritime safety conventions.

Energy security emerged as a central pillar of the joint statement, with leaders agreeing to accelerate ratification of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security (APSA), aimed at improving contingency planning and coordinated response during supply disruptions.

They also backed expansion of renewable energy, diversification of sources, and stronger intra-ASEAN energy trade, alongside progress on the ASEAN Power Grid to strengthen regional electricity interconnection.

Financial stability and food security were also addressed, with ASEAN calling for stronger coordination with international financial institutions to support liquidity and trade flows.

On food supply, leaders agreed to improve monitoring systems for production, fertilizer availability, prices, and logistics, while reinforcing the use of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve during shortages.

The bloc further committed to maintaining open markets, avoiding unnecessary trade restrictions, and advancing digital trade systems, including the ASEAN Single Window and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership framework.

Ministers were tasked to implement priority actions within the year and report progress to leaders, as ASEAN strengthened early warning and cross-sector crisis coordination mechanisms.

The Philippines also secured broad support for its proposal to host an ASEAN Maritime Center, designed to improve coordination on maritime safety, vessel monitoring, anti-smuggling, human trafficking prevention, and illegal fishing, reducing duplication among member states’ monitoring efforts.

The joint statement capped a summit that Marcos later summarized in a wrap-up press briefing, where he said ASEAN leaders focused on energy security, maritime cooperation, food stability, and coordinated crisis response amid overlapping global tensions in the South China Sea and the Middle East.

“What we are working for is the continued freedom of navigation and the peaceful navigation in the South China Sea,” Marcos said, as he also reiterated ASEAN’s call for peace in the Middle East.

“Peace. That is, it’s that simple. Peace," he said.

He said rising oil prices triggered by Middle East conflict had already pushed up the cost of basic goods and exposed ASEAN nationals abroad to heightened risks.

Leaders, he added, agreed to strengthen regional mechanisms against fuel disruptions, including faster ratification of APSA and operationalization of the ASEAN Power Grid to expand cross-border electricity trade and renewable energy integration.

Marcos said ASEAN had begun coordinating fuel arrangements during earlier escalation in the Middle East, while also exploring a regional fuel reserve similar to the bloc’s emergency rice system.

He said members had different supply needs, ranging from diesel to aviation fuel, requiring flexible cooperation.

He also identified renewable energy as the region’s long-term response to volatility in fossil fuel markets, citing hydropower, solar, wind, and nuclear options, with support from development partners.

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On maritime cooperation, Marcos said the proposed ASEAN Maritime Center would strengthen coordination without targeting any state, while underscoring the broader stakes in regional waterways.

“As we all know, a large percentage of world trade goes to the South China Sea,” he said, warning that disruptions would have severe global consequences, while also pointing again to risks in the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that ASEAN-China negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea remain essential before deeper regional mechanisms can be institutionalized, expressing hope for progress before the Philippines completes its ASEAN chairmanship in 2026.

Myanmar also featured prominently in discussions, with leaders voicing frustration over limited progress on the Five-Point Consensus.

Marcos said ASEAN members recognized the need for new approaches while maintaining principles on human rights, humanitarian concerns, and the rule of law, stressing that Myanmar remains part of the ASEAN family.

The summit concluded with the adoption of the Cebu Protocol amending the ASEAN Charter—the first since 2007—along with new declarations on youth climate action, disaster resilience, and emergency coordination. Marcos said the outcomes reflected a shift in ASEAN’s posture.

“Our discussions made clear that ASEAN should not just react to crises,” he said, adding “We must anticipate, prepare, coordinate, and act together.”(MyTVCebu)