President Jokowi Opens the 43rd ASEAN Summit, Encourages Cooperation in the Southeast Asia Region
Jakarta – President Joko Widodo together with other ASEAN leaders officially opened the 43rd ASEAN Summit in the plenary hall, JCC Jakarta, 5 September 2023. In his speech, President Jokowi said that Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN this year will continue to maintain ASEAN unity and encourage the realization of equal cooperation. and mutually beneficial to sail towards the Epicentrum of Growth.
President Jokowi welcomed the leaders of ASEAN countries in Jakarta by saying that all Indonesian people were happy to welcome the participants as part of a big family.
Prior to the opening, the ASEAN leaders present were presented with a performance with the theme song Epicentrum of Growth sung by Githa Bumi Voices and accompanied by the Purwacaraka Orchestra.
“Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN this year continues to maintain ASEAN unity. And this unity is currently still well maintained. However, unity should not be interpreted as having no differences of opinion, because with differences of opinion, every ASEAN member country has an equal position,” said President Jokowi in his remarks.
The President also stressed that the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Jakarta is an important momentum to carry out a responsive, inclusive and sustainable regional transformation.
“ASEAN must become a force capable of making positive contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity. “For this reason, we need to strengthen economic, social and cultural integration in our region,” said President Jokowi.
President Jokowi also reminded that the world has big and increasingly difficult challenges marked by struggles for power and influence from several parties. For this reason, ASEAN has agreed not to become a proxy for any power to cooperate with anyone for peace and prosperity.
“Don’t make our ship ASEAN an arena for rivalry that destroys each other, but make our ship a field for fostering cooperation, creating prosperity, stability and peace, not only for the region but also for the world,” stressed President Jokowi.
President Jokowi closed his speech by officially opening the 43rd ASEAN Jakarta Summit which was enthusiastically welcomed by the heads of state and all the delegations present.
“I hereby declare that the 43rd ASEAN Summit is open,” said the President when opening the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the JCC Jakarta.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has officially opened the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) Jakarta. In his remarks, President Jokowi stressed the importance of ASEAN cooperation and solidarity in the midst of increasingly complex global challenges and emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening ASEAN cooperation with its strategic partners in various fields.
“ASEAN is an open and inclusive community, which is ready to partner with anyone who has the same vision and values as us. We must take advantage of cooperation with our partners to address various global issues that are relevant to the interests of our region,” said President Jokowi.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit was attended by the heads of state or government of ASEAN member countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor Leste is also present as the 11th member state with observer status.
“ASEAN must become a force capable of making positive contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity. “For this reason, we need to strengthen economic, social and cultural integration in our region,” said President Jokowi.
President Jokowi also invited ASEAN leaders to take advantage of the region’s potential and opportunities, such as dynamic economic growth, a large and productive population, and abundant natural resources.
“We must ensure that the benefits of ASEAN economic growth can be felt by all our people. We must reduce development gaps between member countries and between regions within countries. We must improve the quality of human resources and technological innovation. “We must preserve the environment and face climate change,” said President Jokowi.
President Jokowi also highlighted strategic issues that are the focus of ASEAN’s attention, such as post-pandemic economic recovery, resolving the Myanmar problem, increasing maritime cooperation, and ASEAN’s relations with its strategic partners.
ASEAN leaders welcomed Jokowi’s speech and expressed their commitment to strengthening ASEAN cooperation in various fields. They also expressed their appreciation to Indonesia as the host of the ASEAN Summit which had prepared everything well.
“We thank President Jokowi and the Indonesian people for their hospitality and extraordinary arrangements for this ASEAN Summit. We hope that this summit can produce strategic and beneficial decisions for our region,” said Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the spokesperson for ASEAN leaders.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit will last for three days, 5-7 September 2023. This summit is expected to increase ASEAN’s role and influence in the world, as well as strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and its partners in addressing various global issues relevant to regional interests.
