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At the opening of the 48th ASEAN Summit at the Mactan Expo Center in Cebu, the Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng attended the proceedings. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the summit is taking place as ASEAN enters a new development phase under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, while the international situation remains volatile.
In the plenary session, ASEAN leaders discussed concerns about how geopolitical tensions—particularly the conflict in the Middle East—could adversely affect peace and stability, energy security, global supply chains, and the daily lives of people. They also emphasized the need to maintain peace and resolve disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng reaffirmed Vietnam’s support and cooperation with the Philippines and other ASEAN members to implement ASEAN’s priorities and initiatives. He said the key question is not whether ASEAN will be affected, but how to respond and how to coordinate responses together.
Based on this, Vietnam proposed three measures:
Mobilize resources to meet essential security needs, including energy security, food security and human security. Vietnam called for promoting effective implementation of energy cooperation frameworks, diversifying supply sources, accelerating the energy transition, expanding access to green finance and advanced technologies, and strengthening food-security mechanisms, strategic reserves and emergency stockpiling for essential goods. Vietnam also said it is ready to assist in food security during emergencies, share experiences with member states, and continue close cooperation to support ASEAN citizens.
Promote substantive cooperation to enhance internal capacity and resilience, including effective implementation of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and early completion of the ASEAN Framework Digital Economy Agreement.
Strengthen coordination and unity within ASEAN, including improving inter-ministerial coordination in emergencies and strengthening the coordinating role of the ASEAN Secretariat to ensure regional commitments are implemented in a synchronized, continuous and effective manner.
Vietnam’s proposals were welcomed by ASEAN leaders. They endorsed the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on priority actions to strengthen regional self-reliance and respond to the implications of the Middle East situation.
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