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MEDIA BRIEFING
- The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), as the regional intergovernmental energy organisation of ASEAN and the Secretariat of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security (APSA), is recalling the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Situation in the Middle East on 04 March 2026.
- ACE is in coordination with the Department of Energy of the Republic of the Philippines as the Chair of the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) and the ASEAN Council on Petroleum and Energy (ASCOPE) as the ASEAN Specialised Energy Body (SEB) on the Programme Area No. 2 of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030 on the Oil and Gas Connectivity, Security, and Sustainability (OGCSS). Together, we are extending the communication with the ASEAN Member States for coordinated regional energy security monitoring and actions.
- ACE acknowledged the role of the Middle East region in the ASEAN energy sector, particularly in oil and gas, as more than half of ASEAN’s crude oil imports are from the region, especially from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait (Exhibit 1). ACE has observed the various responses from the ASEAN Member States to strengthen national energy security, including through national-level oil and gas stockpiling policies. ACE is committed to supporting the ASEAN Member States in this endeavour.
- ACE noted the need to strengthen regional coordination in monitoring, assessing, and addressing the impacts of the current situation in the Middle East and similar events requiring emergency measures in the future. ACE will coordinate the regional actions to enhance energy security, including through the advancement and implementation of APSA.
Exhibit 1: ASEAN-Middle East crude oil trade (2021-2025)
Exhibit 1.1. ASEAN imported crude oil from the Middle East 2021-2025 (Source: ACE)
Exhibit 1.2. Crude oil movement from the Middle East to ASEAN in 2024 (Source: ACE)
