JAKARTA - Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono reminded the public to also build an ASEAN partnership with the European Union, so that investment in the development of human resources is needed, emphasizing the shared responsibility of both parties.
Speaking at the ASEAN-European Union Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, Foreign Minister Sugiono said that the interconnected global challenges make the ASEAN-EU partnership more relevant.
"ASEAN and the European Union have a shared responsibility to maintain peace, strengthen stability, and bring prosperity to the people in both regions," said Foreign Minister Sugiono, launching the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement, Thursday (23/7).
The year 2027 will mark 50 years of ASEAN-EU partnership relations, which will be commemorated with the holding of a summit that will gather all Southeast Asian and European Union leaders.
This momentum is expected to be the starting point to bring the partnership between the two regions to a more closely, more relevant, and increasingly impactful stage for the people in both regions.
Regarding this, Indonesia also highlighted the importance of strengthening inter-community relations as the foundation of the ASEAN-EU partnership.
"The ASEAN-EU partnership is not only built by governments, but also by the people. Therefore, investment in the development of human resources capacity through scholarships, training, and people-to-people exchanges must continue to be strengthened," said Foreign Minister Sugiono.
Representing more than one billion people and about a fifth of the world economy, ASEAN and the European Union have a common interest in continuing to strengthen multilateralism and upholding an open, fair, and rule-based international order. Indonesia also emphasizes the importance of consistent application of international law.
In this meeting, Indonesia encourages steps towards free trade between the ASEAN-EU region by building momentum from various bilateral trade agreements between the European Union and ASEAN member countries in the economic field. Closer economic integration is believed to strengthen trade, investment, as well as increase the resilience of the supply chain of both regions.
Meanwhile, in the energy sector, Foreign Minister Sugiono encouraged the European Union to continue to support ASEAN's energy transition, which needs to go hand in hand with the need to maintain energy security, affordability, and supply reliability.
"There are wider opportunities for investment in energy infrastructure, accompanied by technology transfer, technical cooperation, and capacity building," he said.
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