Foreign Minister Sugiono at SAFMM: ASEAN Pushes for De-escalation and Dialogue in Middle East

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono attended a Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (SAFMM) virtually on Friday, 13 March 2026.

The Spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Yvonne Mewengkang, stated that the meeting discussed developments in the Middle East conflict situation and its impact on the ASEAN region.

“The meeting specifically addressed the impact of the situation and conditions currently occurring in the Middle East region, particularly the effects on the ASEAN region,” said Yvonne during a press conference on Friday, 13 March 2026.

“This includes the safety of ASEAN citizens in the region and the potential economic impact, particularly on energy supplies,” she added.

Sugiono also encouraged increased cooperation among ASEAN nations in handling citizens in affected areas, including coordination of evacuations and consular assistance.

Additionally, Indonesia conveyed various communications conducted by the Indonesian President and Foreign Minister with several countries aimed at promoting tension reduction and opening dialogue channels.

“I cannot speak for the other ASEAN member countries of course, but essentially in general all ASEAN countries are also pushing for de-escalation and discussing measures that can be taken regarding the impact on the ASEAN region if this escalation continues to increase,” she said.