Indonesian Value Experts Must Be the Driving Force of the Asia-Europe Agenda -

JAKARTA - Padjadjaran University international relations expert Teuku Rezasyah assessed that Indonesia needs to take strategic steps so that it is not merely a link, but also a driver of the agenda in Asian-European cooperation.

"RI needs to first understand the common challenges for the coming 2030, namely climate change, as well as competition for obtaining and processing renewable energy and rare materials," said Rezasyah when contacted by Antara in Jakarta, Friday.

He said Indonesia also needed to strengthen ASEAN's position as a center of high-quality economic growth supported by good governance to accelerate Asia-Europe cooperation.

"In addition, Indonesia also needs to convince the ASEM forum (Asia-Europe Meeting) on its performance in implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, by ensuring that development cooperation goes hand in hand with the creation of a conducive security environment," he said.

He added that Indonesia's position as a strategic "bridge" between Asia and Europe can be optimized through a number of steps.

According to him, with the high bargaining power of the area and the network of sea and air ports spread across many islands, Indonesia's position in ASEM is very strategic, as long as the country is able to perform at a higher standard than it is today.

"So that the role of the Republic of Indonesia is more significant, the Republic of Indonesia needs to actively work to form a cooperation agenda by encouraging strategic issues such as the digital economy and sustainable development," he said.

He assessed that the relevance of ASEM remained strong amid the current weakening of global multilateralism, which was triggered by the Middle East conflict, especially the United States' attitude which easily threatened the security of a number of countries.

On the other hand, energy scarcity and the potential for widespread war encourage Asian and European countries to increase coordination more deeply, while upholding existing agreements.

"It has been proven that ASEM has shown its quality as a dialogue forum, when institutions such as the WTO are at a standstill. ASEM is self-aware, if they are late in coordinating, they will lose influence in the eyes of the world," he said.

"To strengthen Asia-Europe connectivity in the trade, investment, and technology sectors, Turkey can be a model because the country has managed to optimize its geographical position as a strategic Eurasian link," he said.