Indonesian Foreign Minister Affirms ASEAN Must Have Credibility

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must have credibility if it wants to maintain its unity and centrality. "This means that the implementation of the ASEAN Charter is consistently included in the decision-making process in an emergency situation," said Retno when delivering a speech to the opening of the 56th plenary session of the ASEAN Foreign Minister's 56th Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 11. Only with a united attitude, according to him, then ASEAN can answer and anticipate various challenges in the future. Retno also emphasized the importance of ASEAN to navigate dynamics in the region.

"We need to send a clear message that ASEAN will never be a representative in the competition for great strength," said Retno, adding that the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty (TAC) must be obeyed by all ASEAN speech partners.

ASEAN, according to Retno, must also be a pioneer in building an inclusive regional architecture.

In addition, Retno emphasized that ASEAN must also be at the forefront of building an inclusive regional architecture based on peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

For this reason, ASEAN is considered necessary to expand inclusive cooperation with other regions, such as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Association of Indian Ocean Ring Countries (IORA).

"Furthermore, we need to move beyond the steps to build trust and take bold steps to prevent potential conflicts and aggressively promote peace through preventive diplomacy. Only through this can ASEAN continue to be important and become the epicenter of growth," said Retno.

The 56th AMM series was attended by almost all ASEAN and Timor Leste members.

Meanwhile, Myanmar, which has not yet been able to resolve the political crisis in its country, has again been absent from the ASEAN meeting for not sending non-political representatives.