January 21, 2025
JAKARTA – Foreign Minister Sugiono has called for unity and the strengthening of ASEAN institutional capacity, underlining that it was “no longer possible” for Southeast Asian countries to go it alone as the current geopolitical landscape continues to present threats to the stability and security of the region.
Sugiono made the statement on Sunday during his first ever ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, encouraging the group to enhance its mechanism and the capacity of its various bodies to play a proactive role in advancing regional stability and prosperity.
Southeast Asia’s top diplomats gathered on the Malaysian resort island for a two-day weekend retreat to set the stage for Kuala Lumpur’s chairmanship, mulling over some of the region’s most pressing issues under the theme of inclusivity and sustainability.
According to the chair statement released by Malaysia, the meeting discussed how to keep the region free of nuclear weapons, advance negotiations for a code of conduct (COC) on the South China Sea and to curb transnational crimes. The unabating crisis in Myanmar, the rising tensions in the Korean Peninsula and global issues such as wars in Gaza and Ukraine were also on the table of discussion.
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Making his debut appearance at the 10-nation bloc, Sugiono told the Langkawi meeting that Indonesia would continue to support ASEAN and its Community Vision 2045 under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.
The ASEAN Community Vision is a plan to navigate and respond to contemporary global challenges through enhanced economic and sociocultural connectivity, including by cooperating in digital transformation, environmental sustainability and eradicating socioeconomic inequities.
“The ASEAN Community Vision is in line with the priorities of Prabowo’s Asta Cita, which also adds to the pressure of inclusive and sustainable development, providing real benefits for the wider community,” Sugiono said.
Asta Cita is Prabowo’s eight-point campaign promise, which includes, for example, programs to make Indonesia a self-sufficient country in food and energy and pledges to continue developing downstream industries for natural resources and basic infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry announced that diplomatic efforts under Prabowo’s administration will be geared toward his campaign platform.
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Yet to realize ASEAN’s vision, Sugiono said that the bloc must fortify its various institutions, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Forum and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation.
“The vision is important to realize ASEAN as a strong, dynamic and resilient region in the next 20 years,” he said. “Solving these challenges in isolation is no longer possible.”
Following the two-day long retreat, Kuala Lumpur said that members of the group had reached a conclusion to fully support its chairmanship and agreed to prioritize peaceful dialogue instead of the use of threat or force.
“We [ASEAN ministers] are convinced that ASEAN can play a greater role in fostering a stable and predictable environment through adherence to principles of international law and mutual respect, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes,” Malaysia said.
“We also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening ASEAN unity and centrality, and our strong commitment to shaping and leading the evolving regional architecture through existing ASEAN-led mechanisms.”
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Sugiono’s debut ASEAN appearance also included bilateral meetings with his Thai, Malaysian and Laotian counterparts.