Indonesia President Receives ASEAN Foreign Ministers at Merdeka Palace

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo received in audience foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its secretary general at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Friday, Feb. 3.

The audience was held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) and its related meetings from Feb. 1-4. Indonesia takes on the one-year chairmanship of the regional bloc this year.

“Mr. President just received audience foreign ministers of the ASEAN and also the new secretary general of ASEAN [Dr. Kao Kim Hourn],” Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference after the meeting.

At the meeting, Jokowi conveyed two messages to the foreign ministers: the importance of the centrality and unity of ASEAN and the role of ASEAN to be the center of economic growth.

Also read: President Jokowi Kicks Off Indonesias 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship

Some foreign ministers also spoke during the audience, including the foreign minister of Singapore, the foreign minister of Thailand, and the foreign minister of Laos who will take over the ASEAN chairmanship next year.

“The point is about the readiness of ASEAN member countries to support Indonesia’s chairmanship,” said Retno.

Retno said that she and her ASEAN counterparts will attend a series of meetings on Friday and Saturday in Jakarta. After meeting with the Indonesian President, they will attend a working lunch to discuss the current situation in Myanmar. The ministers will start their coordinating council meeting and a retreat on Saturday.

“The series of meetings is the first major meeting held under Indonesia as the current ASEAN rotating chair,” said Retno.

The AMM Retreat and Related Meetings will take place at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
Under this year’s theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, Indonesia is determined to direct ASEAN cooperation in 2023 to continue and strengthen ASEAN's relevance in responding to regional and global challenges, and strengthen the grouping’s position as the epicenter of regional economic growth for the prosperity of the people of ASEAN.

Also read: HRW Urge ASEAN Chair Indonesia to Pressure Myanmar on Violence

The challenges faced by the bloc include geopolitical rivalries, the ongoing impact of pandemics and natural disasters, financial crises, energy crises, and food crises.

Indonesia is also determined to maintain stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region, through a collaborative paradigm approach.

“ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific (AOIP) was initiated by Indonesia and it was adopted by ASEAN leaders in June 2019. The initiative aims to maintain regional stability through partnership, dialogue and cooperation,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said recently.

(Writer: Ardito Ramadhan, Fika Nurul Ulya | Editor: Bagus Santosa, Sabrina Asril)

Sources: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/02/03/11461011/jokowi-terima-menteri-luar-negeri-negara-negara-asean.

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/02/02/16014261/di-bawah-keketuaan-ri-menlu-asean-bakal-bertemu-perdana-pekan-ini.