Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers convened in Cebu today for a high-level meeting chaired by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro of the Philippines, in her capacity as the 2026 ASEAN Chair. The meeting served as a key preparatory session ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit, with discussions centered on pressing regional priorities and the bloc's long-term community-building agenda.

Ministers reviewed recent progress in ASEAN Community-building, including preparations for the Commemorative Activity marking the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), scheduled for July 2026, as well as the ongoing integration of Timor-Leste following its formal admission into the bloc.

Secretary Lazaro also briefed her counterparts on the latest developments in Myanmar in her role as Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair. Her briefing addressed the evolving political and humanitarian situation on the ground and the status of efforts to implement ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus, consistent with the review and decisions taken by ASEAN Leaders in 2025.

The meeting reaffirmed ASEAN's role as a united, resilient, and forward-looking community at a time of mounting global uncertainty - including the escalating crisis in the Middle East and its ripple effects across Southeast Asia.

In her opening remarks, Secretary Lazaro called on her fellow ministers to hold the course and sustain momentum on the region's shared agenda. "Amidst these pressing developments, ASEAN has not lost sight of its broader, long-standing priorities," she said.

Under the Philippines' Chairship theme, "Navigating Our Future, Together," the meeting underscored the need to strengthen ASEAN's resolve, capacity, and ambition in realizing the long-term blueprint set out in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. DFA