The global energy crisis and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are expected to dominate discussions as leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gather on the Philippine island of Cebu this week.
The two-day summit, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will bring together leaders along with foreign and economic ministers from the 11-member regional bloc.
According to report, ensuring energy and food supply security for ASEAN’s nearly 700 million people will be among the top priorities at the meeting.
Analysts say the worsening fuel crisis is likely to test the Philippines’ leadership as ASEAN chair, requiring Manila to coordinate a regional response while also keeping attention on other unresolved regional tensions, including Myanmar’s civil war and the long-standing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.
“Planning to cushion the economic fallout could eventually outweigh other immediate regional issues,” Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at Manila’s De La Salle University, told media.
#From Al Jazeera