Indonesia to coordinate ASEAN-Australia partnership in three areas

Vientiane, Laos (ANTARA) - Indonesia has been appointed to be the coordinator in the ASEAN-Australia partnership that promotes cooperation in the three areas of politics and security, economy, and socio-culture.

"This year, Indonesia is selected as the coordinator for the ASEAN-Australia partnership for the 2024-2027 period. In this context, we represent ASEAN countries," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi noted while giving a statement during the 45th ASEAN Summit here on Friday.

Minister Marsudi explained that earlier, Indonesia had become the coordinator for the ASEAN-US partnership.

Meanwhile, in the ASEAN-Australia meeting during the 45th ASEAN Summit, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, who led the Indonesian delegation, raised several priorities for cooperation between both sides.

In the field of politics and security, Indonesia seeks to advance the handling of terrorism and transnational crimes.

"In terms of the economy, we encourage the effective implementation of various economic agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040," Marsudi highlighted.

She explained that Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy is the Australian government's policy to forge closer economic integration with ASEAN until 2040.

For the socio-cultural pillar, the ASEAN will continue to intensify cooperation in the fields of education and culture and people-to-people relations. It also seeks to optimize the ASEAN-Australia Center.

At the high-level meeting with ASEAN heads of state and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, VP Amin emphasized the importance of avoiding defense policies that might trigger arms races and tensions in the region.

VP Amin emphasized that the ASEAN, as a pluralistic region, should work towards avoiding conflicts and rising tensions.