The agreement was signed during the state visit of US Vice President Michael Pence, who held talks with President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Thursday.
Pence underlined the importance of using peaceful diplomacy in dealing with all issues related to the South China Sea disputes.
"He also stated that maintaining stability and security in the South China Sea was not only in the interests of the countries in this region, but also all around the world," Arrmanatha said.
According to Arrmanatha, the Indonesian government will continue to actively encourage negotiations and agreements involved the completion of a Code of Conduct (CoC framework) to resolve territorial disputes around the South China Sea.
ASEAN member countries and China have recently made further progress in the negotiations of CoC framework. The negotiations were carried out through a process of Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC).
The discussion has resulted in an initial draft of the CoC framework, which could be a solid foundation for producing the framework, during a meeting in Bali, last February.
The next meeting, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, has also made progress in the process of producing DoC.
Therefore, the Indonesian government would continue to encourage the speeding up of deliberations and completion of the CoC framework, as well as the progress of the DoC implementation process.
To do so, both ASEAN and China must continue to maintain a conducive momentum in enhancing mutual trust, stability, and security in the South China Sea.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
