US Vice President Kamala Harris Praises Indonesia As A Strong Partner In Recovery In Myanmar

JAKARTA - Vice President (Vice President) of the United States (US) Kamala Harris said Indonesia had become a strong partner in efforts to restore Myanmar to democracy.

In a bilateral meeting with President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the ASEAN 43rd Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center, Kamala Harris also thanked Indonesia's leadership in ASEAN in 2023 for prioritizing the achievement of real results.

"You have made ASEAN to prioritize tangible results, with a special emphasis on economic growth, and you have become a strong partner as we try to restore Myanmar's path to democracy," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, September 6. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN, has approached all parties in Myanmar and stepped up and continued humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar people.

In the last nine months, Indonesia has also carried out 145 engagements with various parties in Myanmar, which is the most and most intensive ever done by ASEAN. Vice President Harris said the US wanted to continue and strengthen important bilateral relations between the two countries in line with the communications that Indonesia had built with US President Joe Biden in Bali 2022.

"Indonesia is an important partner and friend of the United States," he said.

According to Kamala Harris, Indonesia and the US have long-term friendships and relationships that help each other achieve the prosperity and security of countries and the free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"There is a lot of work being done between our countries in line with our desire to continue to strengthen our relationship. We appreciate that you have made economic growth a priority, and this is our common priority," he said.

To strengthen economic relations, Harris said, the US in 2022 has launched a Fair Energy Transitional partnership, which is an infrastructure initiative with a value of 20 billion US dollars to reduce global emissions and accelerate the transition to environmentally friendly energy, as well as help American companies in Indonesia.

The US, said Kamala Harris, has also launched a Millennium Challenge program that will help build sustainable infrastructure and further strengthen economic relations between the two countries