JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said that maintaining peace was the beginning for ASEAN to fulfill its promise, where creating peace and stability was contained in the Bangkok Declaration and the ASEAN Charter, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would enter its 60th year in 2027.
The momentum of six decades of ASEAN is considered a good time to prove ASEAN's ability to fulfill its promises, after ASEAN was able to answer questions about its ability to evolve, with 11 member countries, a population of almost 700 million and the fifth largest economy in the world.
"Keeping the promise starts with maintaining peace. Therefore, Indonesia welcomes the positive momentum in the Code of Conduct negotiations. Because our people have been waiting for twenty-four years for rules at sea. They should not wait another year. Indonesia is committed to completing an effective and substantive Code of Conduct this year, which is based on international law, especially UNCLOS 1982," said the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs in his statement at the 59th Plenary Session of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday (21/7).
"Not only to meet deadlines, but because a region governed by rules will always be stronger than a region governed by power," he added.
Furthermore, he said, looking back at the bitter lessons of the recent crisis conflicts, maintaining peace goes hand in hand with protecting the ASEAN family, with the public looking forward to concrete steps by ASEAN rather than just summit meetings or progress.
"Maintaining peace must also go hand in hand with protecting the ASEAN family. Recent crises have taught us a bitter lesson. When conflicts erupt far from home, it is often our citizens abroad who bear the direct consequences," he explained.
"Therefore, Indonesia has proposed the ASEAN Consular Affairs Chiefs Forum, as a follow-up to our Leaders' Statement on the Middle East Crisis. Because for citizens stranded in war zones, ASEAN is not measured by summits or statements. ASEAN is measured by whether help arrives, said the Indonesian Foreign Minister.
The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs also said, "maintaining peace begins from within the country, but the impact must extend beyond our region." According to him, "at a time when multilateralism is increasingly under pressure, the world needs what ASEAN has practiced for six decades: dialogue rather than confrontation, and cooperation rather than coercion."
"We must bring the same spirit in our engagement with our Dialogue Partners, by building partnerships that respond to real priorities: from crisis response to food security, energy security, and supply chain resilience," the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
It is known that the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono, is currently in Manila, Philippines, to attend the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Post-Ministerial Conferences, and Related Meetings (AMM/PMC ke-59) which was held on July 20-24, 2026. This meeting brings together ASEAN Foreign Ministers and external partners to discuss the development of the ASEAN Community, external relations, and various regional and global issues.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
