(AseanAll) — The Special ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) on the Latest Situation in the Middle East was convened on 27 April 2026 via virtual platform, under the Chairmanship of Sharon S. Garin, Secretary of the Department of Energy of the Republic of the Philippines. The Meeting brought together ASEAN Energy Ministers and representatives, supported by Senior Officials, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), ASEAN Council on Petroleum and Energy (ASCOPE), and relevant regional energy bodies. The Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh, was also in the Meeting.
The Meeting urged the expeditious completion of national processes towards its ratification of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security (APSA), and noted ongoing efforts to prepare emergency response arrangements. The Meeting also underscored the importance of closer engagement with Dialogue Partners to strengthen regional preparedness and response capacity.
The Meeting commenced with opening remarks by the Chair, followed by a briefing from the ASEAN Secretariat on the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ and ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Statements regarding the situation in the Middle East, as well as updates on the APSA, providing a cross-sectoral perspective on the broader geopolitical and economic context and its potential impacts on regional stability, supply chains, and economic activities. The Chair of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) further presented key outcomes and recommendations from the Ad Hoc SOME Preparatory Meeting on 24 April 2026, highlighting developments in regional energy security and the way forward.
The Meeting also benefitted from insights by the International Energy Agency on the global energy situation and by the ASEAN Centre for Energy on the regional energy situation and proposed actions of the Coordinated Emergency Response Mechanism (CERM) under APSA. Ministers subsequently exchanged views on national preparedness, contingency measures, and policy responses to potential supply disruptions, while underscoring the importance of strengthened regional coordination and collective action to enhance ASEAN’s energy resilience and maintain stable, secure, and affordable energy supplies amid global uncertainties.
The Ministers subsequently considered and adopted the Joint Statement, reaffirming ASEAN’s commitment to enhancing energy resilience and ensuring regional energy security.
