Closing the 43rd ASEAN Summit, Indonesia Successfully Shows Its Leadership in Southeast Asia
Indonesia has officially closed the implementation of the 43rd ASEAN Summit or Summit in Jakarta. The event, which was held from 5-7 September 2023, not only ran safely and smoothly, but also became a special moment to show Indonesia’s leadership in the Southeast Asian region.
The closing of the event was also marked by the handing over of the ASEAN leadership baton from Indonesia to Laos. Not only that, the closing of the 43rd ASEAN Summit also added to Indonesia’s long success in holding various international events.
President Jokowi, who closed the event on September 7 2023, expressed his gratitude and gratitude because the 43rd ASEAN Summit had been carried out well and smoothly, even though in the midst of a difficult situation, Indonesia’s chairmanship had achieved many things as an effort to maintain regional stability and prosperity.
According to him, every leader who attended had a shared responsibility not to create new tensions, and at the same time also had a responsibility to reduce heated tensions, melt the frozen atmosphere and create space for dialogue.
In international cooperation, Indonesia has been known to be able to blend in anywhere, both developed and developing countries. Indonesia’s position is highly valued because we are seen as a potential developing country, and when there is an international forum, many leaders of other countries pay respect to President Jokowi, including at the G20 Summit, G7 Summit, to the 42nd ASEAN Summit which was previously held in Labuan Bajo , East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
At the 2022 G20 Summit which was held in Bali, Indonesia was known to be flooded with praise from many state guests. For example, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, who considers the motto of the G20 Summit to be perfect. Meanwhile, praise and appreciation have also been addressed to President Joko Widodo who is considered capable of encouraging dialogue for the benefit of all citizens of the world. This was conveyed directly by the President of the United States Joe Biden.
In this case, President Biden was the only head of state who made a gesture of respect by raising his right hand parallel to his forehead when he met President Jokowi when he arrived at The Apurva Kempinski, the location for the G20 Summit.
Praise for the implementation of the international event also came from the ASEAN delegation during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara some time ago. On this occasion, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he felt happy and comfortable in Labuan Bajo to watch the sunset. For the first time in Labuan Bajo, Lee Hsien Loong said that one of the places in Indonesia was more beautiful in reality than in the photos. Meanwhile, Prince Abdul Mateen from Brunei Darussalam who accompanied his father also said that Bajo was very beautiful and he was happy to be there with a different atmosphere at the ASEAN Summit.
As is known, the implementation of the 43rd ASEAN Summit this time is special because it is not only attended by heads of state/government leaders from ASEAN countries, but also a number of ASEAN strategic partner countries. A number of countries also attended the 43rd ASEAN Summit, namely. Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and the United States. For this reason, the 43rd ASEAN Summit is often referred to as the ASEAN Plus Summit.
Before the 43rd ASEAN Summit took place, it was known that a number of agreements had been reached. At the legislative level itself, the ASEAN Parliament has issued 30 resolutions through the 44th General Session of the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) which ended on 9 August 2023. According to the Chair of the Regional Desk of the DPR RI Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Putu Supadma Rudana, some of these issues include issues of political stability, issues of Myanmar and the South China Sea.
Not only that, the ASEAN parliamentary representatives also agreed to accelerate the green economy transition and develop technological innovations for sustainable development and growth. Apart from that, the issue of energy and water security is also a concern for AIPA members.
Apart from that, there are other issues that have been agreed upon by the ASEAN parliament, issues such as the issue of gender equality in the women’s committee, the issue of youth involvement in the youth committee, political, economic, social committees, the nickel palm oil issue, the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, SDGs must also continue to be guarded together.
On a different occasion, the Minister of Trade and Chair of the ASEAN Economic Minister (AEM) Zulkifli Hasan said that there were 6 collaborations agreed upon at the 55th AEM meeting. The first is investment trade between ASEAN and the second is the electric vehicle ecosystem. Third, carbon market mobilization, four payment systems through Quick Response (QR), collaboration with business actors, and finally internal consultation with ABAC in each ASEAN country.
Regarding the success of cooperation with ASEAN partner countries, ASEAN Secretary General (Sekjen) HE Dr. Kao Kim Hourn revealed that ASEAN and Japan agreed on a partnership in the fields of innovation and sustainability. This is part of the celebrations commemorating 50 years of relations that have existed between ASEAN and Japan.
The new partnership, outlined in the proposed “ASEAN-Japan Vision for Cooperation” is a cornerstone initiative that marks fundamental changes in ASEAN-Japan.
The holding of Indonesia’s 43rd ASEAN Summit in 2023 shows Indonesia’s leadership in the eyes of the international community. They believe that we can be good hosts and able to lead an international class forum. The 43rd ASEAN Summit Forum has also proven to bring many agreements which are expected to continue to be implemented to bring life in ASEAN for the better.
