ASEAN Unites to Address Crisis, Pushes Regional Stability and Safety
ASEAN nations agreed to strengthen energy and food security cooperation in response to Middle East tensions, with Thailand pushing the bloc to position itself as a stable economic haven amid global volatility.
Thailand is rallying ASEAN nations to tackle the Middle East crisis, emphasizing cooperation in energy, food security, and supply chains to strengthen regional trade and establish ASEAN as a stable region in a volatile world. Thailand's Commerce Ministry joined a special meeting with ASEAN economic ministers to address economic impacts from the Strait of Hormuz situation, agreeing on joint energy cooperation, cross-border electricity linkages, and joint oil reserves. The group also committed to leveraging emergency rice reserves and maintaining open markets while pushing for ASEAN to become a secure haven amid global instability.
Deputy Commerce Minister Kireeya Phaophichit revealed that she attended a special ASEAN Economic Ministers Council meeting on April 30, 2025, alongside representatives from all 10 ASEAN member states. The meeting issued a joint statement addressing regional economic impacts from the Strait of Hormuz crisis, emphasizing cooperation on food and energy security to counteract rising energy costs affecting agriculture, particularly fertilizer prices and production risks.
The group will leverage regional mechanisms including APTERR (ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve) and AFSIS (ASEAN Food Security Information System) to strengthen reserves and monitoring systems, while promoting sustainable agriculture for long-term resilience. ASEAN will also explore joint regional energy reserves, accelerate energy source diversification, and strengthen energy infrastructure connectivity through projects like the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) and the ASEAN Gas Pipeline Network (TAGP), aligned with frameworks including APSA (ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement) and APAEC (ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy) 2025-2029.
Thailand proposed elevating ASEAN's role to become a "region with a stable and reliable economy" globally, maintaining open trade systems, adhering to international rules, and avoiding unnecessary trade barriers. Member states will deepen intra-regional economic connectivity by expediting enforcement of pending economic agreements, reducing trade barriers, and ensuring continuous flow of essential goods. Efforts will also focus on diversifying trading partners and completing negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) this year to unlock new trade opportunities, with recommendations to be presented at the ASEAN leaders' summit in May.
