The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, participated in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat), held on January 28th and 29th, 2026 in Cebu, and chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, the country holding the ASEAN Chair in 2026. 
The meeting was the first high-level ministerial meeting under the ASEAN Political-Security Community pillar during the Philippine Chairmanship, under the theme “Navigating Towards Our Shared Future.” The ministers reviewed the organisation’s priorities and exchanged views on regional and international developments, with a focus on promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
During the Retreat, Ministers reiterated their commitment to ASEAN centrality, multilateralism, and respect for international law, including the peaceful settlement of disputes. Relevant regional issues were also addressed, namely the situation in Myanmar, maritime cooperation, and regional security, in line with the decisions of the 47th ASEAN Summit.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas held bilateral meetings with Cambodia’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Prak Sokhonn, and with Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lê Hoài Trung. The meetings reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and coordination within the ASEAN framework, including monitoring political and institutional cooperation mechanisms.
The Minister was accompanied by the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel, and the Director-General for ASEAN Affairs, Elisa da Silva.