Foreign Minister Retno Encourages US Positive Participation In ASEAN, Foreign Minister Blinken Conveys US Commitment

JAKARTA - Indonesia appreciates the return of the United States (US) and hopes for the country's active role in the US multilateralism relationship with ASEAN.

This was stated by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in the ASEAN-US Special Meeting of Foreign Ministers which was held virtually, Wednesday 14 July.

At the beginning of the meeting which was attended by US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi conveyed various developments in handling the pandemic and economic recovery in the region.

The Secretary General of ASEAN also encouraged the US to support various ASEAN initiatives in handling the pandemic, including the 'ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework' and 'ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement'.

In the context of economic recovery, the ASEAN Secretary General encouraged the US to encourage sustainable economic recovery and strengthen the multilateralism framework to support economic recovery.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Retno in her speech at the meeting conveyed 4 important things, related to ASEAN-US relations. First, welcome the US return to multilateralism and encourage a greater positive US role in the region.

“US leadership in international cooperation and multilateralism will contribute to making the world a better place for all. Cooperation must be prioritized," said Foreign Minister Retno in a written statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, July 14.

Second, Indonesia is also pushing for a greater positive role for the US in the region. Foreign Minister Retno said a good relationship between the US and ASEAN would be beneficial not only for ASEAN but also for the US. The positive role of the US will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Next, Indonesia also appreciates the US leadership in dealing with the global pandemic, in particular the commitment to share 500 million doses of vaccine with other countries to address the gap in vaccine access. US support for the 'TRIPS waiver' at the WTO is also appreciated.

In addition, Indonesia also encourages the role of the US together with ASEAN to ensure a safe, stable, prosperous and peaceful Indo-Pacific region. For this reason, the habit of dialogue must be prioritized over conflict, strategic trust over a trust deficit, and collaboration over competition.

"These principles are contained in the 'ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific' and must be a guideline in the future ASEAN-US partnership," said Foreign Minister Retno.

On the same occasion, Foreign Minister Retno also emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation in preserving regional peace and stability. The issue of Myanmar was conveyed by the Indonesian Foreign Minister, which is still ASEAN's concern and priority.

"Now is a critical time, where the 'Five-Point Consensus' needs to be implemented immediately," added Foreign Minister Retno.

Foreign Minister Retno emphasized that in difficult situations like now, we need collaboration more than ever. Competition and rivalry in the region will only interfere with global efforts to fight the pandemic. Collective energy needs to be focused on ending the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his commitment to continue to assist ASEAN in fulfilling vaccines in the region and post-COVID-19 economic recovery. The US also encourages increased cooperation in the areas of climate change, green economy, renewable energy, and sustainable development in the region.

"ASEAN is the 4th largest trading partner for the US, for that, the US is committed to supporting and assisting economic recovery in the region," said Foreign Minister Blinken.

He added that the US will also increase climate financing every year starting in 2024, to boost ASEAN's capacity in climate change mitigation efforts, and will continue to cooperate in the field of cybercrime and the digital economy.

To note, the ASEAN-US meeting was chaired jointly by the US Foreign Minister and the Lao Foreign Minister as the country coordinator of the ASEAN-US partnership. In the next period, which will start from August 2021 to August 2024, the position of country coordinator will be held by Indonesia.

The priorities for ASEAN-US cooperation that Indonesia will push for the next three years are the development of health resilience in the region, human resource development, creative and digital economy development, and the implementation of the 'ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific'.