Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reportedly returned to Cambodia on the night of May 8 after attending the 48th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Cebu, the Philippines. His summit remarks addressed energy security, food security, and the safety and welfare of ASEAN nationals.
According to the Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s release, Hun Manet said ASEAN remained a beacon of rules-based multilateralism and a force for peace, stability, dialogue and constructive cooperation. He said ASEAN’s soft power stemmed from its role as a trusted, neutral interlocutor able to engage all sides fairly and credibly in an increasingly fragmented world.
On regional economic integration, he highlighted effective implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026–2030, including accelerating the ASEAN Single Window 2.0, advancing digital interoperability, speeding up free trade agreement negotiations with external partners including Canada and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and working towards signing the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).
On energy security and resilience, he stressed faster ratification and operationalisation of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security, while advancing the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) and the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline to strengthen regional energy resilience and supply flexibility.
On food security, he called for stronger regional food systems and better ASEAN preparedness through closer cooperation and effective use of existing mechanisms, including the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) and the ASEAN Food Security Information System. He reaffirmed Cambodia’s readiness, as a food-surplus country, to contribute to regional food security.
He also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of tensions in the Middle East, including the safety and welfare of ASEAN nationals in affected areas, and welcomed mutual assistance among member states under the declaration and guidelines on consular assistance and emergency assistance by their missions in third countries.
Text: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
