Arya News - In a joint communiqué issued during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers` Meeting (AMM), the bloc cited international laws governing civil aviation, maritime navigation and maritime safety, urging all parties to comply with them.
JAKARTA – ASEAN on Thursday called for the restoration of safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, expressing deep concern over the situation as the Asia-Pacific’s largest multilateral security dialogue unfolded in Manila.
In a joint communiqué issued during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), the bloc cited international laws governing civil aviation, maritime navigation and maritime safety, urging all parties to comply with them.
“We called for the restoration of the safe, unimpeded and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as for all parties to ensure the safety of seafarers and ships,” the foreign ministers said.
The call followed a week-long marathon of diplomatic talks among ASEAN members and external partners, where the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict cast a heavy shadow over discussions.
The protracted conflict has driven up energy prices and disrupted regional trade, supply chains, agricultural production and fertilizer supplies across the region, emerging as a recurring theme throughout this week’s diplomatic circuit in Manila, from Tuesday’s ministerial sessions to Thursday’s East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Thursday’s security talks, for instance, opened with an ASEAN Plus Three meeting between the bloc and its Northeast Asian neighbors China, Japan and South Korea, where ministers devoted significant attention to mitigating the conflict’s economic impacts, including through expanding cooperation on food security and advancing the ASEAN Power Grid (APG).
The Middle East has added another layer of complexity to ASEAN’s already crowded security agenda, alongside the long-running challenges in the South China Sea and Myanmar.
At the ARF, where ASEAN chair the Philippines made maritime security a key priority, ministers also turned to the South China Sea, where tensions have recently flared around Second Thomas Shoal, the site of repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa P. Lazaro said at a press briefing on Thursday that the latest confrontation had been raised during ASEAN’s negotiations with China on the long-awaited Code of Conduct at the South China Sea (COC), which has been targeted to conclude this year.
At the EAS, where ministers from 18 countries convened to lay the groundwork for November’s Leader’s Summit on big-picture strategic and geopolitical issues, Lazaro noted the unprecedented disruptions of recent years, calling on ASEAN and its partners to remain united as they navigate the challenges ahead.
“It is critical that we continue to work as one, not despite these challenges, but because of them,” she said.
Cargo ships anchor near the Strait of Hormuz in the waters off Khor Fakkan Port in the eastern United Arab Emirates, in this video still from AFPTV footage taken on July 12, 2026. (AFP/AFPTV)
Beyond dialogues
Led by Foreign Minister Sugiono, the Indonesian delegation at Thursday’s talks pushed for reforms to ensure ASEAN-led mechanisms remain relevant amid shifting global dynamics, emphasizing that dialogue must translate into concrete cooperation and tangible outcomes.
At the ARF, which brought together top representatives from across the region and major powers including the United States, China, Japan and Russia, Sugiono argued that, amid changing geopolitical dynamics, ASEAN’s security forum must move beyond decades of confidence-building and begin playing a more proactive role in preventing conflicts before they escalate.
Established in 1994 as a confidence-building forum, the ARF has long faced criticism for falling short of its ambition to advance diplomacy, with observers arguing it has become better at convening rivals rather than influencing their behavior.
Indonesia has in recent years pushed for practical improvements to the forum, including last year when it called for joint exercises, capacity building and enhanced early warning mechanisms.
“We cannot meet today’s challenges with the same pace set in 1994. Revitalization of the ARF must truly begin, [which] means equipping ARF with an enhanced toolbox, while remaining firmly anchored in ASEAN Centrality as the guiding principles,” Sugiono said in his statement.
At the EAS, meanwhile, Sugiono again iterated that the era of dialogue for dialogue’s sake was over, arguing that geopolitical crises increasingly spill across regions and demand practical cooperation and greater resilience.
On the Middle East, Sugiono argued that preserving a rules-based international order must begin with upholding international law in Palestine, reiterating Indonesia’s support for a two-state solution.
“Rules applied selectively ultimately protect no one. The situation in the Middle East, including in Palestine, therefore remains a matter of deep concern to Indonesia,” he said.
“We reiterate the need for a durable ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and a credible path toward a just and lasting peace.”
Thursday’s talks marked the penultimate day of ASEAN’s final ministerial gathering before leaders meet in November, when they are expected to chart the bloc’s strategic direction for the years ahead.