VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) encourage increased ASEAN-India cooperation through the marine sector. President Joko Widodo said that so far ASEAN-India cooperation has benefited the people but according to him this collaboration can still be optimized.

"We can push the potential of this cooperation towards a blue economy, food security, maritime connectivity, and sustainable marine energy resources," he said in his opening remarks at the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta, Thursday (7/9/2023).

President Joko Widodo said the Indian Ocean has great potential for marine cooperation that must be utilized by ASEAN and India. According to him, the Indian Ocean has great potential because it connects 33 countries with 2.9 billion people.

"We still need to optimize this collaboration, especially considering the great potential of the Indian Ocean which connects 33 countries with 2.9 billion people and 1/5 of the world's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2025," he said.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo also highlighted maritime crimes that often occur such as piracy, human and drug smuggling, and illegal fishing (IUU Fishing).

"We must also tackle maritime crimes such as piracy human smuggling narcotics and Illegal Unregulated Unreported (IUU) Fishing," he said.

He also invited all ASEAN and Indian leaders to make the ocean an opportunity for cooperation by maintaining stability at sea. This, according to him, can be done by respecting international law, encouraging habits of cooperation and building an inclusive regional architecture.

"This is the key to realizing a region capable of becoming an epicenter of growth," he concluded. (VOI/Andy)