Fiji, May 5 -- Pacific Developing Member Countries (PMDCs) have warned that limited fuel storage across the region is leaving essential services dangerously exposed, as they push for expanded and more flexible support from the Asian Development Bank.

Delivering a joint statement at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank, Tuvalu's Finance Minister, Panapasi Nelesone said many island nations hold fuel reserves sufficient for only about a month - a vulnerability that could trigger widespread disruption amid ongoing global uncertainty.

Officials from countries including Fiji, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea stressed that the region's geographic isolation and heavy reliance on imported fuel leave economies acutely exposed to globa...