Prabowo concludes ASEAN Summit with focus on food and energy resilience
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto concluded his working visit to Cebu, Philippines, bringing strengthened joint commitments from Southeast Asian countries in addressing global challenges, particularly in the areas of food and energy resilience.
Foreign Minister Sugiono, in a press statement in Jakarta on Saturday, conveyed that the main issues emerging in various sessions of the 48th ASEAN Summit were Southeast Asia’s collective response to the impacts of the global geopolitical situation, especially the conflict in the Middle East, which also affects the lives of countries in the region.
“The core is first, ASEAN’s joint response in addressing the situation occurring in the Middle East, which everyone feels, directly affecting the lives of countries in the region. Especially in economic sectors, particularly in the availability of food and energy,” said Sugiono.
According to Sugiono, ASEAN leaders share the same awareness that the Southeast Asian region must become increasingly resilient in facing global uncertainties. Therefore, strengthening regional cooperation in the food and energy sectors became one of the main focuses of discussions at the 48th ASEAN Summit.
“There is a growing shared awareness that with the current situation, a joint initiative is needed to make ASEAN a resilient region, especially in the fields of energy and food,” he explained.
Sugiono explained that this agenda aligns with the priorities of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, which from the outset has placed food resilience and energy resilience as important foundations for national sovereignty and resilience.
The Indonesian government is also continuously accelerating various strategic programmes to support these goals.
Furthermore, he conveyed that in the forum, ASEAN leaders also agreed on several concrete outcomes or deliverables as steps to strengthen regional resilience.
Some of them include the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement and APTERR (ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve), which are important parts of regional cooperation in the energy and food sectors.
In addition, current global dynamics show that conflicts occurring in one region can quickly impact other countries, including those in Southeast Asia.
“Because we are all aware that something or a war occurring in a region far from us will quickly have an impact on the lives of people in our region. And this is what is felt by all ASEAN countries,” Sugiono added.