Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has emphasized the need to focus on maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and accelerating ASEAN's energy transition as two priorities in the ASEAN-Norway partnership.

"We understand the importance of collaboration. We cannot achieve collective security at the expense of others' insecurity," she noted in her opening remarks at a trilateral meeting with Norway and the ASEAN Secretariat held on Friday.

According to the minister, this understanding has been the driving force behind ASEAN's relentless efforts to build and maintain an inclusive regional architecture..

Regarding the acceleration of ASEAN's energy transition, she highlighted that energy and climate change are essential areas of cooperation in the ASEAN-Norway partnership.

In 2022, ASEAN and Norway agreed to intensify their energy and climate partnership by mobilizing approximately US$2.5 million over the next four years, from 2022 to 2026.

"We seek Norway's continued support in helping ASEAN address the challenges it faces in its transition towards sustainable energy," Marsudi remarked.

During the meeting on Friday, she noted that ASEAN requires support from all its partners, including Norway, to realize its vision of becoming an epicenter of growth amidst the current challenging global situation filled with rivalries.

While delivering her opening remarks, Marsudi also highlighted that in the past eight years, the ASEAN-Norway Sectoral Dialogue has made significant progress, covering various issues ranging from human rights to energy and climate change.

The trilateral meeting between Indonesia, Norway, and ASEAN took place on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) held from July 10-14, 2023.

Almost all ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste participated in the AMM. Representatives from Myanmar, which has yet to resolve its political crisis, did not attend the ASEAN meeting as the country did not send its non-political representatives.

As the ASEAN chair this year, Indonesia has chosen the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicenter of Growth".

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Translator: Katriana, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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