Firmly Reminds ASEAN, Foreign Minister Retno: Once A Proxy, Difficult To Carry Out A Central Role

Foreign Minister Retno at the 57th AMM Meeting in Laos. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi warned ASEAN not to be any party, which is the proxy only makes ASEAN unable to play its central role.

This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Retno at the Retreat Meeting at the 7th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday.

There are five issues raised in this treatment, namely the issue of ASEAN centrality, AOIP (ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific), Myanmar, South China Sea and Palestinian issues.

Regarding centrality, he said, it is important for the ASEAN part not to be the proxy of any force.

"Once ASEAN becomes a proxy, it will be difficult for ASEAN to play its central role and remain a 'arrest' for the realization of peace and stability in the region," Foreign Minister Retno said in a post by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on her website, Thursday, July 25.

Next, regarding the sustainability of the implementation of AOIP (ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific), Indonesia ensures that the implementation of AOIP is still pursued, both in ASEAN activities and with its speech partners.

"As a follow-up to last year's ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF), this year there will be the 2nd AIPF Meeting on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane next October. Indonesia also hopes that AIPF can be held in Malaysia next year," he continued.

For AOIP's sustainability, the Foreign Minister further proposed Indonesia's initiative so that ASEAN could compile and agree on the AOIP Declaration as the main reference for regional architecture, as stated in the Concord IV document.