Jakarta – Indonesia hosts the 43rd ASEAN Summit. Not only in the Southeast Asia region but throughout the world there are high hopes for Indonesia through holding the 2023 ASEAN Summit (Summit).
“This hope arises because Indonesia holds a strong leadership role in ASEAN,” said Teuku Faizasyah, Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the agenda of the ASEAN Summit, Indonesia conveyed a number of important points, including regarding ASEAN’s future vision which builds the foundation so that by 2045 the vision of the countries that are members of the organization will become clearer.
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi said there were three main focuses that Indonesia was implementing during the 2023 ASEAN Summit.
“First, we want to lay a strong foundation for the ASEAN 2045 vision,” said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
In the midst of an unfavorable global situation, ASEAN must have the capacity to face future challenges. The organization must be able to make decisions in emergency situations.
Therefore, the ASEAN Concord is planned to be decided as the foundation for the organization’s long-term vision for 2045. This foundation will continue to be built during Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
The second point is that Indonesia wants to strengthen Southeast Asia as the epicenter of economic growth. Moreover, ASEAN has strong capital with a population of more than 650 million people, economic growth which is always above the world’s average growth, and the Southeast Asia region which is relatively peaceful and stable.
According to Retno, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) considers Southeast Asia to be one of the drivers of world economic growth.
In fact, ASEAN is rated by the OECD as the region with the best economic opportunities. Not only that, referring to a survey conducted by The EU-ASEAN Business Sentiment which was released on August 1 2023, it was stated that the European Union’s confidence in ASEAN is still very high.
“We must maintain this positive situation. “To become the center of economic growth, of course ASEAN must be more resilient in facing shocks,” said Retno.
Through the 2023 ASEAN Summit, Indonesia is determined to maintain the resilience of ASEAN countries in the fields of food, energy, health, climate change, finance, including human resource capacity.
The theme of ASEAN 2023 is “ASEAN Matters: Epicenter of Growth, ASEAN Leadership by Indonesia 2023.” Referring to this theme, ASEAN wants to ensure that ASEAN’s role is not only limited to the region, but also plays an important role in the Indo-Pacific region.
The last point, namely Indonesia’s priority while carrying out the Chair of the ASEAN Summit, namely pushing for the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) or ASEAN’s views on the Indo Pacific.
In line with what has been expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah stated that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Forum (IPEF) is trying to formulate concrete projects in the economic sector, especially those related to digital technology and clean energy. , which can be implemented in the Southeast Asia region.
Thus, at the 2023 ASEAN Summit, Indonesia will not only discuss strategic matters, but also focus on practical aspects that can have a positive impact on Indonesian society and the world in general.