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)
Short Url
Updated 27 March 2026
Follow

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.