VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi reminded the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. According to her, the Indo-Pacific has great potential as the most strategic sea and a major shipping route. In addition, the Indo-Pacific is also an important source of livelihood for millions of people in the region, including the interests of great powers.

"Failure to manage this could threaten peace and stability in the region. We must avoid our region turning into an epicenter of conflict," she said at the 11th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) in Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday (2/8).

Retno said, over the past five decades, ASEAN has worked hard to deny this possibility, including through strict adherence to international law and an inclusive regional architecture. According to her, all countries should be able to feel safe and secure and free from the threat of military force.

"Our maritime sphere must contribute to making the region an epicenter of growth," she said.

Therefore, Retno encouraged all parties to find a common way to regulate behavior in the Indo-Pacific maritime region. She encouraged the Indo-Pacific maritime region to become a peaceful and safe ocean.

"A peaceful ocean means our actions should not cause insecurity for others, including unnecessary power projection and building alliances to contain other countries. Our waters must not be used as battlegrounds or platforms to launch attacks against others," she said.

In addition, she also encouraged the consistent application of international law, including by adhering to the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other rules of the game in the region such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (TAC), and the nuclear weapon-free zone (SEANWFZ).

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also encouraged the Indo-Pacific sea to become a sea of cooperation. This, she said, means using collaboration as a catalyst to build trust and lasting peace.

"The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific is critical to building habits of cooperation in the maritime field. Our cooperation should be geared towards addressing climate change in our oceans, marine pollution and IUU fishing crimes, developing the blue economy, promoting maritime safety and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities," she said.

She also encouraged the EAMF Forum to become a policy dialog platform to synergize policies on maritime governance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. According to him, the road to creating peace and stability is still long and requires support from all stakeholders in the region.

"I hope this EAMF meeting can be a starting point in our journey," she concluded. (VOI)