ASEAN crisis protocol eyed, DFA says
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is looking at establishing a foreign ministers’ crisis communication protocol to address economic shocks, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the DFA said the proposed protocol would be “rapidly convened” for policy coordination on regional challenges as discussed in the Second Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting on the situation in the Middle East held on Monday.
Foreign ministers will convene as needed “to enable timely consultations, information-sharing and policy coordination during major crises affecting the region,” the statement read.
They also called for the joint convention of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and ASEAN Economic Ministers in order to come up with a coordinated response to the oil crisis, as well as a meeting among the region’s energy ministers at the earliest time possible before the Special ASEAN Ministers for Energy Meeting by the end of April.
This followed ASEAN foreign ministers’ statement urging the US and Iran to continue their peace talks, hoping that the two-week ceasefire would lead to the permanent end of the conflict despite the two parties’ failure to reach a peace deal after more than 20 hours of negotiation on Friday.
The war in the Middle East, which started on Feb. 28, has disrupted global fuel markets, driving oil prices up. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel
