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Speaking at the plenary session of the 48th Asean Summit in the Philippines on Friday (May 8), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has proposed that the relevant Asean ministers urgently explore the establishment of a regional standby mechanism for food security during crises, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, to enable faster coordination and emergency response efforts.

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Transcript
00:00Relax at your sides.
00:02At the Cube, may we invite your Majesty and your Excellencies to share your warmest smiles.
00:09In three, two, one.
00:38Welcome to the 48th ASEAN Summit Plenary.
00:42In the week's show, we should build on the momentum of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration adopted last year,
00:48which reaffirmed our shared commitment to strategic autonomy, economic resilience, and sustainable growth.
00:56The declaration recognized that energy security for resilience, supply chain stability,
01:05and stronger regional connectivity are now strategic imperative, not merely sectoral concerns.
01:13It reminded us that ASEAN centrality must be preserved through practical cooperation
01:20that allows our region to remain open, inclusive, and resilient,
01:26amid growing geopolitical fragmentation.
01:30Military fully supports accelerating the implementation of the ASEAN framework on Petroleum Security Agreement.
01:40It provides an essential layer of protection as domestic oil and gas production declines across the region.
01:48It must also diversify our fossil fuel sources and reduce over-dependence on vulnerable supply chains.
01:59Now, the energy crisis is already feeding directly into food and security.
02:06Higher fuel prices are raising fertilizer, transport, and production costs,
02:12creating immediate supply pressures across the region.
02:17If disruptions persist, ASEAN faces the risk of lower yields and sustain food inflation well into next year.
02:28Food security must, therefore, be treated as a regional strategic priority.
02:35I propose that our relevant ministers urgently explore a regional standby regimen for food security during crisis
02:44to ensure faster coordination and emerging response.
02:49We should also strengthen the ASEAN plus 3 emergency rice reserve mechanism
02:57and work with our partners to consider expanding cooperation beyond rice reserves to include fertilizer security.
03:06In this innovation, including inclusive and responsible, ASEAN has expressed serious concern over the escalation of conflict
03:13due to the preemptive attacks initiated by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February
03:2128, 2026
03:23and the subsequent retaliatory attacks by Iran against several countries in the region.
03:29Against this backdrop, we come together guided by ASEAN's long-standing commitment to peace
03:36and the collective positions expressed by each ASEAN member state,
03:41the immediate cessation of hostilities, the peaceful settlement of disputes,
03:46the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,
03:50and the restoration of safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
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