CEBU CITY – Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro on Thursday formally opened the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat under the Philippines’ chairship.
In her opening remarks, Lazaro highlighted the region’s pressing realities, particularly security challenges that she said have rapidly "evolved and diversified."
“The global geopolitical security environment has not only become more challenging, but has also become more complex and interconnected. Across our region, we continue to see tensions at sea, protracted internal conflicts, and unresolved border and humanitarian concerns,” Lazaro said.
Developments and unilateral actions outside Southeast Asia, she pointed out, also affect regional stability and “erode multilateral institutions and rules-based international order.”
“Taken together, these realities underscore the enduring importance of ASEAN’s time-honored principles of restraint, dialogue, and adherence to international law in seeking to preserve peace and stability to our peoples,” she said.
The retreat, regularly held at the beginning of the ASEAN calendar, allows the grouping's foreign ministers to take stock of priorities and exchange views on regional and global developments.
No outcome document is expected in a retreat, but the discussions set the bloc’s agenda ahead of the gathering of leaders from member states and dialogue partners in the May and November ASEAN Summits.
Aside from tackling issues within Southeast Asia, the retreat also provides a platform for ASEAN foreign ministers to exchange constructive views on global issues affecting the region.
All foreign ministers of the ASEAN member states are present, except for Myanmar, represented only by a senior official with the rank of Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs. (PNA)