VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo highlighted strengthening economic integration and stability in the region at the 2nd ASEAN-Australia Annual Summit.

ASEAN and Australia will sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (RCEP) on Sunday.

However, according to the President, the next challenge is strengthening political commitment so that RCEP can be implemented.

President Joko Widodo raised two main issues while attending virtually the 2nd ASEAN-Australia summit. The first issue is strengthening the economic integration efforts of the two parties.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said after the meeting that President Joko Widodo conveyed the negotiation trip for the ASEAN-Australia Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which was not easy and took a long time.

The President appreciated Australia's constructive role so that the RCEP could be signed a day after the 2nd ASEAN-Australia Annual Summit.

However, according to Retno, President Joko Widodo said that there were still challenges that would be faced by the two parties after the RCEP was signed.

"The next challenge is the implementation of RCEP itself which certainly requires a high political commitment and must be beneficial for all. The President is confident that RCEP will be a catalyst for economic recovery in the region and even in the world," Retno said.

Furthermore, on this occasion, President Joko Widodo also encouraged the creation of stability and security in the region.

According to Retno, President Joko Widodo underlined the importance of stability in the region which will become the foundation for efforts to recover the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The President said that the stability and security of the region are the foundation for efforts to recover the post-pandemic economy. The President also hopes that all countries comply with international law including the 1982 UNCLOS and these principles must be echoed by all," she said.

In addition, President Joko Widodo also highlighted Australia's important role in the region.

According to Retno, Australia is an important partner for cooperation in implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific. (VOI)

President Joko Widodo took advantage of the momentum of the ASEAN Plus 3 Summit to encourage all parties to improve health resilience mechanisms.

According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic has become a real warning of the need to improve health security systems at the national, regional, and global levels

President Joko Widodo encourages the ability of ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries to have regional health resilience mechanisms.

This reflects the experience of the current Covid-19 pandemic so that in the future countries in the region can be prepared to face future pandemics.

During a virtual speech at the 23rd APT Summit on Saturday, at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, President Joko Widodo shared a number of his views on efforts to strengthen these health resilience mechanisms.

According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, the President invited all countries to come out of the pandemic together as winners. For this reason, according to him, the first step that needs to be encouraged is the development of health resilience at the national level.

"The challenge of each country is to build health access at affordable prices. If this is realized it will greatly help improve community resilience and public health capacity in times of emergency," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

"The capacity of digital health technology is very important as part of the public health infrastructure. Online access to telehealth services is becoming increasingly relevant during a pandemic," she said.

"Therefore, the President said that collaboration between ASEAN Plus 3 countries is needed to build health infrastructure in each country," Retno said.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo reminded the importance of cooperation in the health industry in the region.

According to Retno, President Joko Widodo again reminded the importance of working together to build a strong health industry, including in the fields of medical devices, medicines, medicinal raw materials, pharmaceuticals, and even vaccines.

"Of course, this industry must be supported by research and development capacities. And therefore ASEAN Plus 3 countries are important to build medical sciences hubs," Retno said.

Another thing that has also been highlighted by President Joko Widodo is the importance of establishing a comprehensive regional framework.

According to Retno, this framework could be in the form of a system, standard procedure, early warning system, or a medical device availability system.

In this case, Retno said, President Joko Widodo saw the need for an ASEAN Center to deal with issues of public health emergencies and emerging diseases.

According to Retno, President Joko Widodo said that the Covid-19 pandemic had summoned all countries to improve national, regional, and global health systems. (VOI)

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto reiterated his call to preserve unity in diversity, and appealed to the entire nation to stay vigilant to any provocation that may threaten the country's peace and stability.

"To this end, do not let our nation's unity and oneness disappear or get obscured by provocation and ambition, covered with a variety of identities," he said in a statement made available to ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday.

Hadi Tjahjanto again highlighted the importance of upholding the unity in diversity for maintaining the country's peace and stability when speaking at the TNI headquarters in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Tjahjanto was accompanied by several military top brass, including the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Commander, Lt.Gen.Eko Margiyono, and the Army's Special Forces Command (Kopassus) General Commander, Maj.Gen.Mohammad Hasan.

He emphasized that the TNI soldiers are the primary instrument of Indonesia's defense to protect all Indonesian citizens, and will not let any enemy of the state disrupt the nation's noble goals.

ANTARA noted that both President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and many other national political figures, including former vice president Jusuf Kalla have repeatedly highlighted the importance of upholding the nation's unity in diversity.

In his State of the Nation Address at the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on August 16, 2019, President Jokowi stressed that unity would help the nation find huge energy to propel its entire strength and thoughts towards an advanced Indonesia.

"In this unity, we find solidarity, attention, and the spirit of sharing among the children of the nation."

The president expressed his strong belief that Indonesia's unity would remain peaceful, and by holding on to this unity of Indonesia's spirit, this great house would never, ever crumble, nor fall apart, nor vanish.

Instead, Indonesia would forever stand tall not only for 100 or 500 years in the future but for eternity, he said.

For former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, an economic welfare is so indispensable because, with a fair prosperity, Indonesia's unity in diversity can remain intact. (Antaranews)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday (Nov 14) outlined new initiatives to support ASEAN’s economic recovery efforts post-COVID-19, as noted in a release published by ASEAN Viet Nam 2020 official website, Sunday.

The new initiatives include 70 million Australian dollars for resilience and recovery in Southeast Asia and a 232 million Australian dollars package for the Mekong region, focusing on the environment, infrastructure, cyber, and critical technologies and scholarships.

Addressing the second ASEAN-Australia Biennial Summit, held online on Saturday, PM Morrison commended Viet Nam and ASEAN for their strong response to COVID-19 in the spirit of a cohesive and responsive ASEAN.

The leader said Australia is ASEAN’s partner in the great recovery that is occurring, noting ASEAN’s centrality is the core of Australia’s vision for Indo-Pacific.

Australia remains committed to working with the region and helping the region recover from COVID-19.

Morisson mentioned that Australia recently committed some 500 million Australian dollars over three years to support access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

"Safe effective access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines will be the central factor in our collective recovery, Morrison said," he stressed.

In a media statement released on November 13, the Australian prime minister said ASEAN remains at the heart of Australia’s vision for a peaceful, stable, inclusive, sovereign, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific. ASEAN has a central role to play in the region’s recovery and the post-COVID-19 regional order.

Australia is proud to be a strategic partner of ASEAN and its oldest dialogue partner, he said.

The Australian leader also congratulated Vietnam for its stewardship as ASEAN Chair during a very challenging year.

At the summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Australia was one of the most long-standing partners of ASEAN with a relationship established in 1974. Over the past four decades, the bilateral relationship has been increasingly strengthened in different spheres.

ASEAN welcomes Australia’s consistent policy on accompanying the region for the long term and supporting the bloc’s centrality, he noted.

The two sides agreed to hold the summit annually instead of biennially as a foundation to further deepen and substantially promote the important relationship. (Antaranews)