Foreign Ministry: Ratification of APSA Still in Process in Each ASEAN Member State
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) has conveyed that the ratification process for the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA) is currently ongoing at the domestic level in each ASEAN member state, in accordance with applicable national mechanisms and provisions.
“In the context of Indonesia, the technical developments in the ratification process are being handled by the focal point for this cooperation, namely the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM),” said Kemlu spokesperson Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela to ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He explained that APSA is an ASEAN cooperation mechanism to strengthen regional energy resilience through improved coordination, information exchange, and collaboration in handling energy emergency situations.
Through this agreement, he continued, ASEAN countries have a framework for providing mutual assistance on a voluntary basis and through commercial mechanisms in the event of energy supply disruptions in the region.
Kemlu spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang, met after a joint press statement between Indonesia and Singapore on Tuesday, stated that APSA represents a collective effort by ASEAN member states to enhance energy resilience in Southeast Asia.
Yvonne explained that in principle, APSA enables ASEAN member states to decide to request or provide assistance on a voluntary and commercial basis according to each member’s capabilities.
“So, the discussion of APSA is not intended to permanently determine that a particular country is a contributor or recipient, but rather to strengthen preparedness in facing potential energy supply disruptions,” Yvonne clarified.
Previously, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn assured that the APSA ratification process would be completed before the 49th ASEAN Summit in November this year.
“Country officials have received instructions from their leaders that the APSA ratification process must be accelerated by all member states,” said Kao in a press conference on the outcomes of the 48th ASEAN Summit on 11 May 2026.
Meanwhile, on 11 May 2026, Minister of ESDM Bahlil Lahadalia stated that he had offered Indonesia as the location for building an oil storage hub for countries in the Southeast Asian region.
“Even without that idea (of building an ASEAN storage hub), Indonesia has already been building oil storage. The idea (of the ASEAN storage hub) emerged when Indonesia was ready to implement it,” said Bahlil.
To date, there is no agreement on where the ASEAN regional oil storage hub will be built. Bahlil said that to realise the proposal, Indonesia will collaborate with Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines.
Through the construction of this storage hub, Bahlil conveyed that ASEAN will have substantial energy reserves to supply countries in Southeast Asia.