Foreign Minister Retno: A Stable, Peaceful And Prosperous Pacific Is The Key

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with the Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Winston Peters. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Adityo Karno)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that Pacific stability, peace and prosperity are the keys for Indo-Pacific when meeting with Deputy Prime Minister/New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Tuesday.

The meeting in Auckland was held in the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) format. He said bilateral relations between the two countries this year were 66 years old. Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Partnership has been going on for half a decade.

He explained that this JMC meeting did not only discuss bilateral issues but also regional and world issues, including the issue of Myanmar and Palestine.

"I emphasize at the beginning of the meeting that a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Pacific is the key to a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific," said Foreign Minister Retno in a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, July 30.

"A peaceful Indo-Pacific cannot be achieved alone by one country, but requires cooperation and collaboration from many countries," he continued.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Retno appreciated the consistency of New Zealand's support for the sovereignty and integrity of Indonesian territory.

"I also convey Indonesia's readiness to continue to strengthen cooperation with New Zealand in the context of advancing economic and development cooperation in the Pacific," said Foreign Minister Retno.

A total of six things were discussed in this bilateral meeting, namely people-to-people contact; trade, investment and economic cooperation; development cooperation; security cooperation; human rights promotion cooperation; and environmental cooperation.

The Foreign Minister also said that Indonesia will also continue to cooperate with New Zealand in implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) to maintain inclusive cooperation in the region, including to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and PIF (The Pacific Islands Forum).

"Regarding Myanmar, I emphasize the importance of international support for ASEAN's efforts to encourage conflict resolution in Myanmar, especially through the implementation of the 5PC. I also encourage New Zealand to provide humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, especially through the AHA Center," he said.

At the end of the meeting, Foreign Minister Retno together with Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Peters signed a Plan of Action of the Indonesia New Zealand Comprehensive Partnership for the Period 2025-2029 containing various priority issues together and concrete cooperation under the framework of the Comprehensive Partnership of the two countries.