By Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 20) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told leaders of Gulf countries to help in securing supply of oil and gas to Southeast Asian nations in view of global economic and geopolitical changes.
Marcos on Friday attended the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he also highlighted Philippine interests, especially on power and food security.
“We call on the GCC countries to help ensure the reliable and sufficient supply of oil and gas to ASEAN member states to respond in a timely and effective manner to the vicissitudes of today’s energy economics, deepening social cleavages, and the disruptions of adverse geopolitical developments,” he said in his intervention.
“We recognize that chemical fertilizers are the by-products of the petrochemical refinement process, and the GCC can also help ASEAN maintain its food security by filling up supply deficiencies in fertilizer export to our region,” he added.
The Philippine leader also urged cooperation between the ASEAN and the GCC to promote peace and security in the South China Sea and Arabian Sea.
“As the two regional organizations located astride the major sea gates and vital corridors of the world’s commerce and communications, it is imperative that we work together to promote peace, security, and stability in both our regions, the South China Sea, and the Arabian Sea, grounded on the rules-based international order to ensure stability and prosperity of our countries and the rest of the world,” he said.
Marcos told the summit there are potential synergies of capital investment between the two groups to address food supply, renewable energy transformation, and supply chain disruptions.
The president also raised that ASEAN-GCC relations must ensure the “free flow” of workers between the regions, advocating for the labor sector’s upskilling and the protection and promotion of their rights and welfare.
He said there are an estimated 2.2 million Filipino workers in GCC countries made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
During the summit, leaders signed a joint statement and adopted the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation 2024–2028 to boost collaboration on matters of security, trade and investment, agriculture and food security, energy, tourism, and education, among others.
Source: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/10/20/marcos-oil-supply-security-asean.html