VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the current world situation is still filled with high rivalry, including the conflict in Ukraine. According to her, this condition has impacted the atmosphere of discussion in all multilateral and international forums. Therefore, according to her, ASEAN has an increasingly important role to play in its centrality.

"In such a situation, it becomes even more important for ASEAN to strengthen its solidity and unity in order to continue to play its centrality," Retno said in a statement delivered in Jakarta, Friday (7/7).

Indonesia will host the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings/Post Ministerial Conference (AMM/PMC) on July 11-14. According to Retno, AMM/PMC is one of the ASEAN mechanisms that has an important role as a driver of world peace based on the principles of the UN Charter, ASEAN Charter, and International Law.

In this regard, Retno Marsudi explained, to maintain stability, peace, and regional economic resilience, the AMM/PMC meeting will emphasize efforts to uphold the principles in the ASEAN Charter to strengthen preventive diplomacy.

"First, strengthening the enforcement of the principles in the ASEAN Charter and various codes of conduct such as the TAC, SEANWFZ, and AOIP in order to create regional peace, security, stability, and prosperity," Retno said.

In addition, according to her, the AMM/PMC meeting will also be utilized to strengthen efforts to overcome, prevent and resolve problems between countries (CBM) and preventive diplomacy.

"In this regard, I will encourage the mechanism of China, Japan, South Korea to be revitalized. This mechanism is very important for regional stability and prosperity," she said.

Retno further added, the AMM/PMC meeting will also encourage Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to access the Protocol to the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty, finalize Guidelines to accelerate the completion of Code of Conducts negotiations in the South China Sea and complete the establishment of the ASEAN Maritime Outlook.

"This Outlook will be a very strategic document to strengthen synergy and avoid duplication of maritime cooperation, which has been carried out by ASEAN sectoral bodies and as a reference for partner countries in maritime cooperation with ASEAN," she said.

Retno also said that the AMM/PMC will also discuss concrete cooperation in order to strengthen food security, regional health architecture, strengthen maritime cooperation and energy transition including the electric vehicle ecosystem.

"The results of the discussion of these various issues will be submitted to the 43rd Summit in September," she said.

At the 56th AMM/PMC meeting in 2023, for the first time, the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) was also mainstreamed in talks with partner countries, with a focus on discussing concrete cooperation. According to Retno, the main principle of the AOIP is inclusiveness and building concrete cooperation.

"Therefore, ASEAN is ready to cooperate with any partner in the context of implementing the AOIP and this is reflected in various ASEAN documents with partners, both at the political level and technical level such as making concrete cooperation," she added.

In the 56th AMM/PMC, ASEAN will also strengthen relations with the Indian Ocean Association of Coastal States (IORA) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

"Engagement with IORA and PIF will be done at the September Summit. The MoU roadmap for secretariat cooperation between the ASEAN Secretariat and the PIF Secretariat continues to be finalized," Retno said.

Retno Marsudi also conveyed Indonesia's commitment as the host of the AMM/PMC and Chair of ASEAN. According to her, Indonesia will do its best so that the dialog and discussion during the AMM/PMC will be constructive.

"Indonesia is ready to bridge all differences that arise and we are ready to try so that the discussion can produce concrete cooperation that will be brought to the 43rd Summit in September. Of course, the support of ASEAN member states and ASEAN partner countries is highly expected," she concluded. (VOI/Andy)