Indonesia’s Foreign Policy to Prioritize Resilience in Health Care

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi on Wednesday said that realization of the commitment on Covid-19 vaccine will be one of the country’s main foreign policy priorities this year amid the pandemic challenges.

“Indonesia’s first diplomatic priorities in 2021 will be focusing on self-reliance and resilience in health care, including the realization of vaccine commitment,” said Retno during her annual press statement on January 6.

To do so, Retno added, the government will enhance its bilateral and multilateral cooperation to build the national health industry, the raw material industry for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Also read: Indonesia’s Retno Marsudi: Economic Recovery Unlikely until Pandemic Ends

Besides, Indonesia will also enhance the cooperation in research, technology, and human resources in the health sector, improve systems and mechanisms for preparedness for the pandemic at the national, regional, and global levels.

The second priority touches on the support for economic recovery and green development as well as sustainable development. This will promote the implementation of the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA), the APEC Travel Card, and other TCA agreements as well as bring foreign investment to Indonesia.

The third priority is to strengthen the protection system for Indonesian citizens, she added.
“The Indonesian representatives will continue to strengthen the infrastructure for protecting Indonesian citizens by providing fund assistance, especially for handling the Covid-19,” she said.

Also read: Indonesia Distributes First Covid-19 Vaccines Nationwide

“To build an integrated protection representative (PPT) based on Minister Regulation No. 5/2018, and to increase the status of the Indonesian Consulate in Tawau [Malaysia] to become the Indonesian Consulate General,” she said.

The fourth priority is to promote various regional and world issues. This includes Women, Peace and Security (WPS), the Regional Forum of Women Negotiators and Mediators, and the First Meeting of the Southeast Asian Network of Women Peace Negotiators and Mediators.
Meanwhile, the fifth priority will focus on worker diplomacy to safeguard territorial sovereignty and integrity.

“We will prioritize two things. First, to increase the intensity of land and maritime border negotiations. Second, to strengthen the efforts in maintaining the integrity of the sovereignty of the country,” said Retno.

(Writer: Nicholas Ryan Aditya | Editor: Kristian Erdianto)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/06/18520351/5-prioritas-diplomasi-ri-pada-2021-salah-satunya-realisasi-vaksin-covid-19.