The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam is ready to provide food support in emergency situations and share related experiences with ASEAN member countries.
Speaking at the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit on May 8, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung affirmed Vietnam’s support and commitment to cooperate with the President of the Philippines and member countries to realize the Philippines’ priorities and initiatives in 2026, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Prime Minister emphasized that facing interconnected and multi-dimensional challenges, the question for ASEAN is not “will it be affected or not?” but how will ASEAN “respond and respond together?”.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung raised three major proposals, first of all is the need to focus resources to ensure essential security needs including energy security, food security and human security.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung at the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, May 8. Image: VGP
It is necessary to diversify energy sources, promote energy transition, increase access to green finance and advanced technology; improve the effectiveness of existing food security frameworks and agreements, strengthen strategic reserves and establish a specialized, emergency reserve mechanism for rice and other essential commodities.
The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam is ready to provide food support in emergency situations, share relevant experiences with ASEAN member countries and will continue to coordinate closely with ASEAN member countries in supporting citizens.
The Prime Minister also proposed promoting practical cooperation to strengthen ASEAN’s internal capacity and resilience. Accordingly, it is necessary to effectively implement the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and soon complete the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung called for strengthening coordination and solidarity in ASEAN, including improving the effectiveness of inter-sectoral consultation and coordination in emergency situations, as well as continuing to promote the coordinating role of the ASEAN Secretariat to ensure that regional commitments are implemented continuously, synchronously and effectively.
Based on Vietnam’s proposal, the conference discussed and agreed to issue the ASEAN Leadership Declaration on Priority Actions to strengthen regional self-reliance to cope with the consequences of the Middle East situation; Expressing ASEAN’s political stance on the implications of the Middle East situation, the leaders’ vision of positioning ASEAN in the regional structure, and a common strategy and response with high action and implementation.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and delegation heads attended the narrow session of the 48th ASEAN Summit. Photo: VGP
On the same day, the Prime Minister attended a narrow meeting of leaders of ASEAN countries, with the main topic of discussion being response to the energy crisis arising from geopolitical tensions and lessons learned for ASEAN.
The Prime Minister emphasized that in an increasingly uncertain and uncertain strategic environment, ASEAN cannot only adapt to change but must go ahead, lead, and shape change.
The Prime Minister proposed that ASEAN needs to take the lead in upholding the rule of law, strengthening trust in international relations, through persistently promoting multilateralism and respect for international law.
In a volatile world, ASEAN needs to embrace change by proactively preventing and managing crises. Enhancing strategic autonomy and promoting its central role is the only option to help ASEAN stand firm and overcome current multidimensional challenges.
Faced with major power competition and pressure to choose sides, ASEAN needs to strengthen solidarity, unity and balanced behavior with partners. ASEAN must maintain its central role, shaping the agenda at ASEAN-led mechanisms, while continuing to expand development space through promoting foreign relations with potential partners.