Foreign Minister Sugiono: Indonesia Will Continue To Contribute To Strengthen ASEAN Capacity And Effectiveness

JAKARTA - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Sugiono, emphasized the importance of strengthening the effectiveness and synergy across ASEAN pillars to deal with the dynamics of the region and increasingly complex global challenges while attending the 37th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday.

Starting his statement at the meeting, Foreign Minister Sugiono expressed his appreciation to Malaysia for his leadership which was considered successful in directing various concrete achievements during the Chairship of ASEAN 2025.

Foreign Minister Sugiono further said tomorrow would be an important milestone for ASEAN with the acceptance of Timor-Leste as a member of the 11th ASEAN extended family.

"Indonesia reaffirms its commitment to supporting Timor-Leste's full integration into various ASEAN mechanisms," said Foreign Minister Sugiono, launching a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday, October 25.

Furthermore, the Foreign Minister highlighted the increasing risk to global peace and stability. In dealing with this situation, Indonesia emphasized the importance of increasing the effectiveness of ASEAN through strengthening cross-pillar and cross-sectoral coordination.

"The meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Economics of ASEAN is an important step to strengthen policy alignment between ASEAN pillars," said the Foreign Minister.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister also encouraged that similar cross-pillar meetings could be held regularly to ensure the continuity of coordination between political-security and economic issues in the region.

Closing his statement, Foreign Minister Sugiono emphasized that Indonesia will continue to contribute to strengthening ASEAN's capacity and effectiveness so that it remains adaptive and relevant in facing the challenges of the future of the region.