JAKARTA - The war in the Middle East shows the fragility of the energy resilience of ASEAN countries. Dependence from outside the region is still too large so that the Southeast Asian economy is easily shaken when global conflicts break out.
The issue was one of the main topics at the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines. Foreign Minister Sugiono said the impact of the war is now felt by countries in the region, especially in the food and energy sectors.
"The war that is happening in a region far from us, will quickly have an immediate impact on the lives of people in our region," said Sugiono in Cebu, Philippines, Saturday, May 9.
According to Sugiono, ASEAN countries are beginning to realize that energy dependence from outside the region cannot be left unchecked. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and global conflicts has become an alarm for Southeast Asia.
"We were a little careless after COVID. The excessive dependence on energy from outside should not happen," he said.
Therefore, ASEAN encourages concrete steps to strengthen regional energy and food security. One of them is through the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement and strengthening APTERR or ASEAN Plus Three emergency rice reserves which are the results of the meeting in Cebu.
Sugiono said Indonesia from the beginning has placed energy and food security as the main agenda of the government of President Prabowo Subianto.
He alluded to the acceleration of the development of alternative energy as well as the food self-sufficiency program which is starting to show results.
"Energy security and food security are the most basic things that a country must meet," he said.
According to Sugiono, ASEAN countries have a large capital to be energy independent if they are able to strengthen regional cooperation and utilize the potential of each member country.
"With the potential in each ASEAN member country, we are actually able to be self-sufficient," said Sugiono.
The ASEAN Summit in Cebu discussed a lot about the impact of global conflicts on the region. The biggest concern arises from the threat of disrupting the supply chain of energy and food that can directly hit the lives of people in Southeast Asia.
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