Jakarta – Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has emphasized ASEAN’s important role as a convening power to enable prioritizing dialogue in resolving issues.
On the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday, she said that ASEAN is continuing to encourage dialogue despite differences in positions and views.
“As long as we can still talk, it is better than not talking anymore. Because if we do not talk anymore, the choice is the use of violence,” she said in a statement received from the Vice President’s Secretariat in Jakarta on Thursday.
The role of a convening power, according to Marsudi, is becoming increasingly important amid the various issues faced by ASEAN, including the unresolved crisis in Myanmar, which has contributed to the spread of transnational crimes.
The minister said that ASEAN is continuing to strive to resolve the Myanmar issue through dialogue as well as the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) reached by ASEAN leaders.
“All ASEAN member countries consider that the situation in Myanmar is not getting better, but is getting worse. And, in the discussion, it was agreed that we continue to try to push for the five points of consensus as a reference,” she added.
ASEAN leaders also agreed that Myanmar will not be represented by political officials but by technical officials from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs at ASEAN forums.
In addition, Indonesia is pushing for an agreement between ASEAN countries regarding policy derivatives of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
To that end, Indonesia has proposed a number of concrete initiatives, such as holding the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum and launching the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Business Network, which will strengthen business networks in the region, the minister said.
The AOIP Declaration to establish the concept as a reference in the future for ASEAN will also be carried out by ASEAN leaders at the summit in Laos this year, she added.
As reflected by these steps, she said, ASEAN is striving to maintain its relevance on the international stage by emphasizing its role as a platform for inclusive dialogue and cooperation.
BY: The Times Union / ANTARA
