I think we shall never take ‘peace’ for granted
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi called on all ASEAN member countries to work together to maintain peace in the region amid the volatile geopolitical conditions of the world.

"I think we shall never take ‘peace’ for granted. It does not fall from the sky. We truly have to maintain it. The ASEAN needs to work hard to maintain it, especially now where the world is clearly ‘not okay,’" Minister Marsudi noted in her remarks at the 7th ASEAN Media Forum held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Marsudi argued that member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should be grateful for it has been blessed by peace and stability in the region for more than five decades.

She pointed out that the world is currently not in a good condition, characterized by sharpening major power rivalry, a more divided world, food and energy crises, and continuing wars.

Apart from that, Marsudi drew attention to the fact that in the ASEAN region itself, a political crisis in Myanmar still lingers on.

"Internally, we also have the Myanmar issue. Hence … our (Indonesia's) chairmanship (is) aimed at addressing these challenges," she stated.

The Indonesian foreign affairs minister also emphasized that in facing an increasingly turbulent world, people in the region need an ASEAN that is capable and agile to address not only the current but also the future challenges.

The ASEAN should also continue to be relevant and pay heed to matters to achieve success, so that it can maintain South East Asia as an epicentrum of growth, she added.

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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Sri Haryati
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