ASEAN Summit Agreement, Indonesian FM: Focus on Energy and Food Availability

Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia (FM RI) Sugiono outlined the joint agreements from the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on 7-8 May 2026. Member states agreed to bolster the availability of energy and food amid the conflict in the Middle East. “The core point is first: ASEAN’s joint response to the situation in the Middle East, which everyone feels, directly affecting the lives of countries in the region. Especially in economic sectors, particularly in food and energy availability,” Sugiono stated, quoted from Kontan on Saturday (9/5/2026). The region must prepare for various challenges through collective cooperation. “There is a growing collective awareness that with the current situation, a joint initiative is needed to make ASEAN a resilient region, especially in energy and food,” he explained. “And I think this is also something that has been a programme from the outset of the government led by President Prabowo, where energy resilience and food resilience are the most fundamental things that must be fulfilled by a country, that our country must fulfil,” Sugiono said. “Energy diversification is no longer a choice. It is very important, it is necessary. We must move faster. We must go through alternative sources and we must prepare renewable energy,” Prabowo stated, quoted from Kompas.com on Friday (8/5/2026). Prabowo warned that distribution routes for food and energy raw materials are disrupted due to this conflict. “Prolonged disruptions along major global routes have already put very high pressure on our country’s energy situation, and that pressure does not seem to subside in the near future,” Prabowo said. The Indonesian government has been endeavouring to diversify energy supplies and transition to renewable energy to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.