Bandar Seri Begawan. The ASEAN-EU ministerial talks have just begun in Brunei Darussalam on Tuesday, and expectations are rising on whether the blocs’ chief diplomats will come up with concrete actions in navigating the Hormuz closure.

Behind the closed doors, foreign ministers of ASEAN and the European Union (EU) nations are now sitting in one room to exchange views on beefing up cooperation. Indonesia has sent its vice foreign minister Arrmanatha Nasir to represent Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. But only time will tell whether the hours-long talks can yield an actionable proposal to cool down the energy shocks triggered by the Iran war.

Brunei’s second minister for foreign affairs Erywan Yusof kicked off the forum by saying that "conflicts and rising tensions are disrupting supply chains and destabilizing energy markets". The world’s two major blocs also need to walk the talk.

“Our relevance, be it together or separately, will be measured by our ability to uphold these principles consistently without discrimination and to translate them into concrete, result-oriented cooperation,” Yusof said in his opening remarks.

“This is essential not only for our regions, but for sustaining confidence in the international system.”

Kaja Kallas, the vice president of the European Commission, warned that the war in the Middle East had ignited a global energy crisis that would “affect us all for the years to come”.

“Although no nation is spared, the economies of Southeast Asian nations are among the most affected,” Kallas said.

She went on to say that the EU wants a "partnership that is strategic in vision and concrete in action". 

The discussions are still ongoing as of writing. The groups are expected to roll out a joint statement that lays out what they have agreed on. Aswin Ariyanto Azis, the international relations analyst of Brawijaya University, said that the meeting came at the right time amid the global energy crunch.

“The biggest challenge is to turn any eventual joint statement into something actionable,” Aswin told the Jakarta Globe ahead of the talks.

“This includes working together on alternative energy sources, supply chain security, green transition financing, or emergency mechanisms in case of disrupted trade flows. Without a clear target, funding, timeline, or mechanism, the talks will only be a diplomatic symbol, and that’s not enough.”

The global crude benchmark Brent has repeatedly smashed through the $100 barrier as the Hormuz blockade disrupts global oil shipments. Tehran has been sealing the narrow waterway -- which carries a quarter of global seaborne oil trade -- in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes in late February. Brent has topped $108 per barrel on Tuesday. 

In the energy sector, the European grouping has supported ASEAN in linking Southeast Asian countries’ electricity networks. The EU has bankrolled energy transition projects in the region, including Indonesia’s switch from coal.

Add as a preferred source on Google +