VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI News : Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi attended the 3rd Indo-Pacific European Union Ministerial Forum meeting in Brussels, Belgium. In her speech, she highlighted the challenges facing the world from year to year, which are getting bigger starting from the war in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, ongoing great power rivalry to capacity gaps among countries that hinder the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

She also affirmed the importance of the forum to strengthen collaboration, cooperation and partnerships to advance prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Minister Retno remarked that Indonesia had made these efforts in its ASEAN Chair last year, including through holding the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF) and strengthening relations with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Association of Indian Ocean Rim Countries (IORA).

“ We don't want to see the Indo-Pacific region become a field of rivalry. What we want is the Indo-Pacific as a growth center,” Minister Retno conveyed.

On that occasion, Minister Retno further affirmed that cooperation in the Indo-Pacific must be inclusive, concrete, and adhere firmly to international law and collaboration paradigms.  These principles are contained in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) as a guide of ASEAN in navigating dynamics in the region and interacting with its partners from outside the region. 

She perceived that the European Union as a partner of Indonesia and ASEAN plays an important role in realizing a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. (VOI-Ndy-Mar- AF)