Jakarta – The ASEAN Indo Pacific Forum (AIPF) which was held on 5 and 6 September 2023 focused on strengthening sector cooperation which is crucial for the future of ASEAN.
“For example, green infrastructure, strategic industrial supply chains, digital transformation, and the creative economy,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi.
Through this concrete and inclusive cooperation, the habits of cooperation and trust in the Indo-Pacific region will always be maintained. AIPF itself is part of the 2023 ASEAN Summit series which will be held in Jakarta.
Retno said that referring to the foreign policy constitutional mandate, Indonesia must and will always contribute to world peace. This is in line with the theme of commemorating the 78th Indonesian Independence Day, which is “Keep Moving Forward Indonesia”. Indonesia will continue to play a positive role for the world, the Indo-Pacific region, including in Indonesia’s Chair in ASEAN.
Indonesia’s foreign policy efforts also need to get support from all levels of society in the country. Therefore, Retno invited all parties to continue to strengthen their commitment to advancing Indonesia.
On this occasion, Retno Marsudi again mentioned the 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,” he said.
In the midst of an unfavorable global situation, he said ASEAN must have the capacity to face the challenges ahead. The organization must be able to make decisions in emergency situations.
Therefore, the ASEAN Concord was decided as the foundation for the organization’s long-term vision for 2045. This foundation continued to be built during Indonesia’s Chairmanship in ASEAN.
The second point, 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. Then economic growth is always above the world’s average growth, and the Southeast Asian region is relatively peaceful and stable.
Moreover, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) considers Southeast Asia to be one of the anchors 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.
Finally, said Retno, Indonesia’s priority in its ASEAN chairmanship is to encourage the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) or ASEAN’s views on the Indo Pacific.
Over the past five decades ASEAN has built an inclusive regional architecture, in fact, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has become a locomotive for stability, peace and prosperity in the Indo Pacific region.
“In the midst of increasingly sharp rivalries, Indonesia continues to push for concrete and inclusive cooperation with all ASEAN partners,” he said.
