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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregara in a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and three partner countries namely New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom on Thursday (Aug 5, 2021). ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Foreign Affairs - 

Indonesia has lauded the significant role played by New Zealand as a bridge between Southeast Asian countries and the Pacific region.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mahendra Siregar made the statement during a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and New Zealand organized virtually on Thursday.

Indonesia's foreign policy focus on the Pacific can be aligned with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) by encouraging increased ASEAN cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, he affirmed.

"New Zealand, as a developed country with a foreign policy focus on the Pacific, can become a bridge for ASEAN," Siregar noted in a statement issued by the ministry here on Friday.

As the initiator of the AOIP, Indonesia lauds New Zealand for its efforts to promote multilateralism and support for the principles of AOIP.

In the midst of global competition, Indonesia views the importance of strengthening the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area and implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to restore confidence in the multilateral economic system.

Indonesia encourages ASEAN and New Zealand to increase cooperation in the economic sector to assist economic recovery in the region as well as people-to-people cooperation, especially in the fields of education and human resource development, according to MoFA Indonesia.

Apart from New Zealand, the ASEAN-Canada foreign ministers’ meeting was also held on the same day.

At the meeting, the Indonesian deputy foreign minister lauded Canada's assistance to the ASEAN in the procurement of medical equipment, especially masks and data collection on the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

Indonesia is optimistic that the ASEAN and Canada would continue to jointly restore economic conditions in the region, especially in the MSME sector, impacted by the pandemic.

Siregar proposed cooperation for capacity building in the use of digital technology and expanding market access as well as encouraging Canadian support for the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.

At the conclusion of the series of meetings, the ASEAN foreign ministers accepted the UK as ASEAN's dialog partner.

The UK is the first country to become an ASEAN partner in the last 25 years and the 11th country since the ASEAN was formed.

In a separate statement, the UK vouched to work with ASEAN and its member states on key issues that pose common challenges, such as maritime security and transnational crimes, boost the economy through trade, and bolster cooperation to address issues, such as COVID-19 and climate change.

British State Secretary Dominic Raab expressed delight on Britain officially becoming ASEAN's dialog partner.

“This is a landmark moment in the UK’s tilt towards the Indo Pacific. Our closer ties with the ASEAN will help create green jobs, reinforce our security cooperation, promote tech and science partnerships, and safeguard key pillars of the international law, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Raab stated//ANT