Returning to Being the Center for World Attention, Indonesia is Ready to Succeed in the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta
Jakarta – Indonesia is once again the center of world attention, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that Indonesia is ready to make the 43rd ASEAN Summit a success which will be held in Jakarta, 5-7 September 2023. This activity is a continuation of the agenda of the 42nd ASEAN Summit which was successfully held in Labuan Bajo in May 2023.
Indonesia once again exercised international leadership by holding the baton of ASEAN chairmanship at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. This chairmanship provides an opportunity for Indonesia to demonstrate its strategic role in strengthening ASEAN institutional capacities and capabilities in establishing an order based on multilateralism and inclusivity values.
Jokowi also reminded that the purpose of holding the 43rd ASEAN Summit was to strengthen human resources and maintain stability and sustainable growth in the midst of conditions after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What is no less important is increasing cooperation in terms of welfare growth in Southeast Asia during the post-Covid-19 economic recovery,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno Marsudi said that the essence of the activities of the 43rd ASEAN Summit was to strengthen the achievement and foundation of the 2045 ASEAN vision.
“In essence, the expected goals are the strengthening of ASEAN institutions both in terms of making more effective decisions to matters of organizational substance,” he added.
Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno explained that the substance in question was negotiating the final document that would be used on the agenda.
“The process of negotiating the final documents is still ongoing and everything is on the right track,” he added.
With Indonesia hosting the 43rd ASEAN Summit, it is hoped that it can strengthen ASEAN’s relevance in generating developments in issues, strengthen ASEAN’s position as the center of regional economic growth, and respond to various global challenges, one of which is the Myanmar conflict. Because the Myanmar conflict no longer involves one or two parties, it makes the situation more complicated.
“We hope that the problems in Myanmar will be resolved soon because they concern humanity and the people of Myanmar. In reality, this issue is so complex that it tends to take longer. This settlement can occur if all stakeholders in Myanmar have the same will to resolve the problem,” he concluded.
It is known that the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta was not only attended by leaders of ASEAN member countries, but also Heads of State/Government from partner countries, such as the United States, China, Russia, and other world organizations, such as the IMF and World Bank.
For this reason, Indonesia’s chairmanship at the 43rd ASEAN Summit with the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth is intended to realize ASEAN as a center so that it can become a motor and contribute to higher economic growth compared to other countries outside ASEAN and create regional and global peace.
