ASEAN adopts crisis plan amid Iran war concerns
Southeast Asian leaders adopted a contingency plan Friday to mitigate the impact of the Iran war on their people and economies but acknowledged it will be difficult to enforce complex steps like establishing a regional fuel reserve to ensure a steady supply.
The Philippines, among the worst affected by fuel price spikes caused by the Iran war, hosted the group’s annual summit on the central island province of Cebu. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered the summit stripped of the traditional pomp and pageantry in keeping with the economic headwinds worldwide. ASEAN’s contingency plan calls for actions including the ratification possibly this year of an agreement that will pave the way for coordinated emergency fuel sharing, planning a regional power grid and fuel stockpile and diversifying the region’s sources of crude oil.
Promoting the use of electric vehicles and studying the use of new technologies, including civilian nuclear energy, were also part of the crisis plan.
The contingency steps will be implemented immediately but the establishment of a regional fuel stockpiled and power grid is a complex matter and may take a long time, Marcos said. “Let’s talk about the fuel reserve. Is it going to be in one single place? Is it going to be scattered through the whole of ASEAN?” he asked.
A regional power grid that allows countries to trade electricity has been considered for years but has only been realized “at a fairly small level,” Marcos said, but added the leaders were unfazed. “They are committed to making this succeed because everyone is suffering and everyone wants to get out of this situation,” he said. A key dilemma of the ASEAN leaders was how to carry out large-scale evacuations from the West Asia, where more than a million of their citizens work and live, if widespread hostilities flared up again.
The hostilities have continued sporadically despite a month-old ceasefire, especially in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. A joint declaration issued by the leaders called on the regional bloc’s 11 state members to share information and strengthen coordination with international organizations “to ensure the safety and welfare of ASEAN nationals in affected areas”.
