Fiji, May 5 -- The vulnerability of Pacific countries to external shocks has come to the fore with the impact of the prolonged crisis in the Middle East on the region's energy sector.

This was clearly articulated by most of the 14 Pacific Developing Member Countries (PMDCs) of the Asian Development Bank, meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan this week.

In April, the small island nation of Tuvalu declared a state of emergency for two weeks because it was not sure whether fuel will be consistently supplied beyond June.

Other Pacific countries have put in place contingency plans to address fuel shortages if the crisis continues.

"I am very concerned about the real pressures your economies are navigating right now, especially the spillovers fr...