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Prime Minister Le Minh Hung reaffirmed Vietnam’s support and commitment to cooperate with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and ASEAN member states to help realize the Philippines’ priorities for 2026. Speaking during the conference opening remarks, Marcos said ASEAN is entering a new development phase under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and that the summit offers a key opportunity for leaders to share assessments and practical steps to address multidimensional challenges.
In the plenary session immediately following the opening, leaders discussed the negative impacts of geopolitical fluctuations around the world—especially the Middle East conflict—on peace and stability, international energy supply chains, and civilian safety. They stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability and upholding dialogue and peaceful resolution based on international law and the UN Charter.
Leaders also shared and supported the Philippines’ directions for ASEAN cooperation in 2026 under the theme “Steering the Future Together,” with three major focuses:
Leaders emphasized that ASEAN should strengthen unity and centrality, broaden cooperation with partners, and accelerate implementation of cooperation plans—particularly on energy security, food security, macroeconomic stability, supply chain resilience, and support for ASEAN citizens.
In his plenary remarks, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung reiterated Vietnam’s readiness, as ASEAN Chair in 2026, to bolster solidarity, resilience, centrality, mutual support, and cooperation with partners to respond effectively to these challenges and achieve the objectives of the ASEAN Community Vision.
He framed the ASEAN question as not whether member states will be affected, but how ASEAN will respond together. He proposed three major sets of actions:
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung also urged substantive cooperation to strengthen ASEAN’s internal capacity and resilience, including implementing ATIGA and finalizing DEFA. He called for enhanced ASEAN unity and centrality, improved inter-agency consultation in emergencies, and continued leadership of the ASEAN Secretariat to ensure regional commitments are implemented consistently and effectively.
Photo caption: “Plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit.”
Vietnam’s proposals were welcomed by ASEAN leaders, who commended their content and timeliness. Building on Vietnam’s proposals, the summit issued the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Priority Actions to strengthen regional resilience in response to Middle East developments, outlining ASEAN’s political stance and a practical, action-oriented approach to a joint response.
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