Foreign Minister Retno Encourages Increased New Zealand-ASEAN Cooperation For Indo-Pacific Stability

ASEAN - New Zealand meeting on the sidelines of the 56th AMM in Jakarta. (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has encouraged ASEAN and New Zealand to strengthen cooperation in maintaining Indo-Pacific stability, including the Pacific region.

At the ASEAN - New Zealand Post Ministerial Meeting, on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, Foreign Minister Retno said New Zealand was an important ASEAN partner in the Pacific region.

Welcoming the signing of the ASEAN - Australia - New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) amendment, Foreign Minister Retno acknowledged the important role of New Zealand as a liaison for ASEAN in the Pacific region.

Foreign Minister Retno further said that the stability of the Pacific region is an integral part with stability in the Indo-Pacific. For this reason, he continued, ASEAN and New Zealand must strengthen cooperation to maintain strategic trust in the region and uphold international law, including principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We hope New Zealand will continue to support ASEAN's centrality in shaping the regional order and promoting collaboration in the Pacific," said Foreign Minister Retno in a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday, July 13.

Regarding the issue of development in the Pacific, Foreign Minister Retno said, ASEAN must assist Pacific countries in facing various development challenges, including climate change and marine problems.

"We must produce concrete cooperation in line with ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)," explained Foreign Minister Retno.

Foreign Minister Retno also hopes for New Zealand's role in bridging ASEAN cooperation in the Pacific, including plans for cooperation between secretariats between ASEAN and the Pacific Island Forum (PIF).

Dalam pertemuan ini, negara ASEAN mendorong penguatan kerja sama di bidang ekonomi, maritim dan laut, pemenuhan komitmen terhadap Paris Agreement, kerja sama counter teroris, dan penanggulangan perdagangan manusia.

In addition, ASEAN countries also hope that New Zealand will support its joint position in the ASEAN Sea of South China.

It is known, in this meeting the Foreign Minister of ASEAN-New Zealand adopted the 'ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific' document, which underscores the importance of inclusive collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region.