Referring to President Prabowo Subianto's statement, he emphasized that Indonesia would like to be a good neighbor, including to ASEAN member states.
“Since he was elected, even before he was appointed, President Prabowo has visited ASEAN countries. This, once again, shows ASEAN’s importance to Indonesia,” FM Sugiono said while delivering his annual statement here on Friday.
Within the current Asia-Pacific geopolitical constellation, he noted, ASEAN centrality also means ensuring the implementation of the legal obligations of friendly countries outside the region that have acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).
“For this reason, Indonesia will continue to encourage wider support and respect towards the TAC,” he said.
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Indonesia will also continue to actively assist in resolving the political and humanitarian crises in Myanmar, he added.
In the wider region, Indonesia is committed to strengthening relations with Pacific countries to become an equal development partner in the Pacific, based on the principles of mutual respect.
As a concrete example of Indonesia’s efforts as a balancing power globally, in keeping with the mandate of the Constitution, the nation is continuing its tradition as a troop-contributing country to UN peacekeeping operations.
Currently, Indonesia is the world’s fifth-largest contributor, with 2,736 personnel across eight UN peacekeeping missions.
FM Sugiono said that sending UN peacekeepers is real evidence of Indonesia’s efforts to maintain global peace and security.
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Translator: Cindy Frishanti Octavia, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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