ASEAN Summit to Go Ahead in May, but Shortened to ‘Bare Bones’ Programme Due to Middle East Conflict

MANILA, March 27 (Reuters) – ⁠Philippine ⁠President Ferdinand ⁠Marcos Jr. said ​on Friday that the ‌ASEAN Leaders’ summit ‌will go ⁠ahead ⁠in May, but will be shortened to ​a “bare-bones” programme that focuses on addressing issues ​like fuel supplies, food prices ⁠and ⁠migrant workers.

Marcos ⁠said he ​has consulted with his counterparts ​in ⁠the regional bloc and asked them whether they preferred ⁠to postpone the ASEAN summit due to ⁠the conflict in the Middle East. 

“The consensus that we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate ⁠our efforts,” Marcos told reporters. 

(Reporting by Nestor Corrales, Mikhail Flores and ​Karen Lema; Editing by ​David Stanway)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

Photos You Should See – March 2026

A Kurdish woman in traditional dress holds a lit torch during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on a hill overlooking the town of Akra in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

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