"We believe that the US will always support ASEAN's centrality and its position as the epicentrum of growth," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said at the ASEAN Foreign Post Ministerial Conference with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, here on Friday.
According to Marsudi, ASEAN has this year started to mainstream the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
The bloc has expressed the hope that all ASEAN partners, including the US, will uphold strategic approaches in the form of inclusive collaboration and dialogue.
"And I believe that our meeting today will result in new commitments for concrete and further cooperation between ASEAN and the US, and at the same time, contributes peace and stability in the region," said Marsudi, who is serving as a coordinator for ASEAN-US cooperation.
She reaffirmed that the spirit of collaboration is the only way for ASEAN to build an inclusive regional architecture. The bloc has also welcomed all nations to join the interaction in the Indo-Pacific.
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Through AOIP, Marsudi said, ASEAN is committed to pushing concrete cooperation that brings real benefits to society in four priority sectors—connectivity, maritime sector, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and the economy.
"These are the same areas for the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Four fields that realize our shared interest and unite us," she added.
Marsudi said that the four areas could strengthen ASEAN-US relations in the Indo-Pacific, and thereby, increase confidence and trust.
"That way, the US' support to implement this outlook is very important," she added.
Furthermore, the achievement of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific would be a win at the global level, not just regional, she said.
"As ASEAN's Comprehensive Strategic Partner, the US has the key to realize this aspiration. ASEAN really needs the US to be a significant contributor in the Indo-Pacific," she said.
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Translator: Yashinta P, Kenzu T
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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