Indonesia encourages the use of British capacity in the field of financial intelligence and law enforcement to strengthen ASEAN

JAKARTA - Indonesia encourages the use of British capacity in the fields of financial intelligence and law enforcement to strengthen ASEAN's ability to prevent crime.

This was said by Foreign Minister Sugiono when attending the ASEAN-UK Post-Ministerial Conference in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday (23/7) evening.

During the meeting, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs encouraged an ASEAN-UK partnership that is increasingly oriented to generate tangible benefits for the public, ranging from combating online fraud, inclusive energy transition, to human resource development.

Foreign Minister Sugiono in his statement highlighted the losses due to online fraud in Southeast Asia which reached 23.6 billion US dollars in one year, associating with how the partnership between ASEAN and the UK is expected to support ASEAN's joint efforts in facing these challenges.

"Fraud networks can operate from our region, but the funds from their crimes move across borders through the global financial system. Funds that move can be traced," said Foreign Minister Sugiono, launching the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement, Thursday (23/7).

Therefore, Indonesia encourages the use of British capacity in the fields of financial intelligence and law enforcement to strengthen ASEAN's ability to prevent crime, detect networks of perpetrators, protect victims, and trace the flow of funds from fraud.

"This is a concrete form of partnership. Cooperation must be felt directly by the community," said Foreign Minister Sugiono.

It is known that the UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 2021.

Furthermore, it is said, the same principle also needs to be applied in energy transition cooperation.

Indonesia appreciates the ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund and encourages its implementation to reach the most needy people, including communities in remote areas.

"When the energy transition reaches all walks of life, the benefits are not only clean energy, but also shared prosperity," explained the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Indonesia also welcomes the contribution of the ASEAN-UK Chevening Scholarships in preparing the next generation who will bring the ASEAN-UK partnership forward.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Sugiono also emphasized that a partnership that is community-centered must be reflected in the response to the situation in Palestine. Indonesia welcomes the recognition of the United Kingdom of the State of Palestine as a decision that has important meaning.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Britain is considered to have a special responsibility to encourage the realization of a just and sustainable peace.

"Consistency is a measure of credibility. The ASEAN-UK partnership can be an example that our region is a space for collaboration, not a rivalry arena," said Foreign Minister Sugiono.

This meeting adopted the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-United Kingdom Dialogue Partnership 2027-2031 and the ASEAN-UK Joint Ministerial Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific: Advancing Together.

Both documents serve as a reference for strengthening ASEAN-UK cooperation, including in the fields of peace and security, cross-border crime prevention, green transition, connectivity, and human resource development.