ASEAN summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to ‘bare bones’ program due to Middle East conflict

ASEAN summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to ‘bare bones’ program due to Middle East conflict
FILE - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gestures as he answers questions at the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinon Leaders Forum in Makati, Philippines on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
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Updated 27 March 2026 06:53
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ASEAN summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to ‘bare bones’ program due to Middle East conflict

ASEAN summit to go ahead in May, but shortened to ‘bare bones’ program due to Middle East conflict
  • Marcos said he has consulted ⁠with his counterparts ‌in ‌the regional bloc ​and ‌asked them whether ‌they preferred to postpone the ASEAN summit due to the conflict ‌in the Middle East

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said ​on Friday that the ASEAN Leaders’ summit will go ahead in May, but will be shortened ‌to a “bare-bones” ‌program ​that ‌focuses ⁠on ​addressing issues ⁠like fuel supplies, food prices and migrant workers.
Marcos said he has consulted ⁠with his counterparts ‌in ‌the regional bloc ​and ‌asked them whether ‌they preferred to postpone the ASEAN summit due to the conflict ‌in the Middle East.
“The consensus ⁠that ⁠we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos told reporters.