Energy crisis and regional tensions: ASEAN meets under the threat of global conflicts

ASEAN leaders are meeting this week in the Philippines amid heightened energy and geopolitical concerns. As conflicts in the Middle East continue to weigh on global markets, Southeast Asian countries fear serious consequences for their economies, which are heavily reliant on fuel imports.

The meetings scheduled for Thursday and Friday on the Philippine island of Cebu will bring together the heads of state and the foreign and economy ministers of the 11 member countries of the regional bloc. According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, energy and food security will be among the top priorities of the discussions.

The Philippines, which currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship, is seeking to coordinate a regional response to the risks of oil supply disruptions. Diplomats and analysts believe the energy crisis will test the bloc's ability to act in a unified manner in an unstable international environment.

But leaders will also have to manage several internal crises within the region. The civil war in Myanmar continues to divide ASEAN, while the deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia remains unresolved. Some fear that these regional issues will be sidelined in the face of the economic emergency caused by global tensions.

Myanmar, now led by a new military-backed government, is expected to try to improve relations with other members of the bloc after several years of diplomatic tensions. This issue could reignite internal divisions within the organization.

According to geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill, measures aimed at mitigating the economic consequences of the crisis could ultimately overshadow other immediate regional issues. This summit thus appears as a major test of ASEAN's cohesion and capacity for action in an increasingly uncertain international environment.