Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formally opened their annual meeting in Manila this morning with a call for unity in the face of maritime tensions and growing global instability.
In her opening address at the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said that in a world marked by “upheaval, uncertainty and unpredictability,” the region had to respond with “active, deliberate problem solving.”
“In a fractured global landscape, no single nation can weather these storms alone. Our strength and resilience lie in our community,” she said. “If we do not move forward as one, we risk being pulled apart.”
Today’s meeting kicks off a week of diplomatic conclaves in Manila, involving their counterparts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and numerous other countries.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are among the confirmed attendees for the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum, both of which will be held on Thursday. These major summits will be interspersed with dozens of sideline bilateral meetings between representatives of the participating nations.
