Mr. President (Jokowi) emphasized that we will be able to develop ASEAN to become the epicenter of growth if we are able to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received a courtesy visit from the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, and a number of foreign affairs ministers of Southeast Asian countries at Merdeka Palace here on Friday.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said that the courtesy visit was a part of the foreign ministers’ meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon and the "ASEAN Foreign Ministers' (AMM) Retreat” on Saturday (February 4, 2023).

"Today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday), the ASEAN foreign ministers will hold a series of meetings, which will start this afternoon with a working lunch to discuss the situation in Myanmar and followed by the ASEAN Coordinating Council, while we will hold the (AMM) Retreat meeting tomorrow," she informed.

The ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting is the first major meeting to be held under Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

During the courtesy visit, President Widodo asserted that ASEAN should not be a proxy for any country.

"The President highlighted the importance of the centrality and unity of ASEAN, which needs to be maintained because they are ASEAN's main capital," Marsudi informed.

Furthermore, the Indonesian President stressed the importance of upholding the principles of democracy, international law, and human rights in accordance with the ASEAN Charter.

Marsudi said that Widodo also affirmed that Indonesia is committed to implementing ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar to help the country resolve its political crisis.

The President expressed the hope that ASEAN could become an epicenter of growth amid the current unfavorable global economic situation, she added.

"Mr. President (Jokowi) emphasized that we will be able to develop ASEAN to become the epicenter of growth if we are able to maintain peace and stability in the region," Marsudi remarked.

Meanwhile, the attending foreign ministers of ASEAN countries conveyed the readiness of their respective governments to support Indonesia's chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2023.

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Translator: Mentari Gayati, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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