In his speech at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Futures Forum 2026, the Thai Prime Minister pointed out that in the context of the world facing polarization, supply chain disruption, climate change and rapid technological development, ASEAN is facing both challenges and opportunities to affirm its role in the shifting regional and global order.
According to him, ASEAN's success over the past decades comes from harmonizing national interests with regional interests, thereby strengthening ASEAN's central role in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity.
The Thai Prime Minister believes that in an increasingly divided world, ASEAN's value lies not only in not choosing its side, but also in its ability to maintain trust, promote dialogue and create space for cooperation with partners, while protecting the common interests of the region.
Recent developments in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz are also mentioned, which are said to have created bottlenecks for trade, while affecting energy and food prices. In that context, Thailand continues to promote infrastructure development in the southern region to increase resilience to the risk of supply chain disruption.
At ASEAN leaders' discussions, food security and energy security issues were of particular concern. Thailand affirmed its willingness to provide energy, while supporting other countries in ensuring food security.
He also emphasized that ASEAN's self-reliance needs to become one of the important agendas of the future. This not only means deeper integration but also requires taking advantage of ASEAN's strategic position on the Indo-Pacific maritime routes. Along with that, he also expressed his expectation that the DEFA digital economy framework will be signed this year to unlock the potential of the ASEAN digital economy.
According to the Thai Prime Minister's assessment, ASEAN's success is not measured by the number of conferences or documents adopted, but by whether people feel safe, secure and optimistic about the future. This is especially important for the young generation, who will be directly affected by new challenges such as artificial intelligence, online fraud, health issues and natural disasters.
Thailand also called for continued investment in education, skills development, economic systems and social protection, and committed to cooperating with all ASEAN member countries and partners to realize the common vision of a stable, connected and developing region.
