"India is an important partner of Indonesia and the ASEAN. India is one of the first countries to warmly welcome the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific adopted by ASEAN leaders last June.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has appealed to India to expedite the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) during the 16th ASEAN-India Summit at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, Bangkok, on Sunday.

The ASEAN and India share common views and assets to mutually support cooperation in the region, Chief of the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat Erlin Suastini noted in a press statement released on Sunday.

At the meeting, President Jokowi lauded the support offered by India, as one of the first nations to welcome AOIP adopted by the ASEAN in June 2019 and express willingness to implement the Indo-Pacific cooperation.

"India is an important partner of Indonesia and the ASEAN. India is one of the first countries to warmly welcome the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific adopted by ASEAN leaders last June," he stated.

The president noted that India and ASEAN member countries have assets that help the two sides intensify cooperation in the region within the framework of implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific

The first asset is India's economic growth of seven percent that can be combined with the ASEAN average economic growth of 5.1 percent.

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"The second asset is the large India-ASEAN population of two billion, coupled with creative thoughts and ideas," he stated.

In addition, the ASEAN and India are geographically located in the same region in the Indian Ocean that enables ASEAN-India interconnectivity and makes it possible for India to be connected with the Pacific Ocean, he stated.

"It is not surprising that India is the first country to cooperate in implementing the Indo-Pacific cooperation," he noted.

India is also Indonesia's key partner that recently agreed on connectivity cooperation between their two areas located in proximity: Aceh in Indonesia and Andaman-Nicobar in India.

To this end, Indonesia expects India to attend the Infrastructure and Indo-Pacific connectivity forum to be held in 2020.


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Translator: Joko Susilo/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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