Retno: Indonesia to Raise Four Point Issue in ASEAN Summit

Kualalumpur (Antara) - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia will raise four point issue at the summit meeting of ASEAN in Kualalumpur-Langkawi, Malaysia. "The first point concerns the importance of ASEAN to have a legal instrument to protect workers," Retno said after a gala dinner of the ASEAN heads of state or government at the Kualalumpur Convention Center, here on Sunday night. There are hundreds of thousands of Indonesian workers in Malaysia working as housemaids and as plantation workers. Many of them are illegal migrant workers. The second is that Indonesia will stress the importance of ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in the maritime sector and connectivity, she said. In the third point Indonesia would also attach importance to speed up settling border issues among the member countries. "As we share borders with each other, both in the sea and on land , Indonesia would speak about the importance of settling the border issues immediately," Retno added. The last point concerns assistant counselor in third countries facing crisis, she said. We need a special regulation how to provide counselor assistance for ASEAN citizens in countries beset by crisis," she said. She said ASEAN internal issues such as centralization of ASEAN would dominate talks in the 26th summit meeting . "We would discuss how to make ASEAN sessions more efficient and effective in drafting regulation in accepting new dialog partners or in dealing with other issues," she said. In addition to the summit meeting, the regional heads of state or government would meet with representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), ASEAN Youth Representatives dan Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Representatives. They also are invited to attend the 12th ASEAn Leadership Forum in Kualalumpur. In Langkawi Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines would meet on East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand would discuss progress in Growth Triangle development. (*)