Indonesia considers ASEAN focus in foreign policy: FM

10/27/2017 - 4:16:15 PM

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has affirmed that Indonesia attaches significance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in its foreign policy.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (Source: VNA)

Marsudi told a press conference in Jakarta on October 26 that Indonesia is one of the ASEAN founding members, adding that ASEAN is not only a regional organisation but also one of the most successful multilateral organisations, which contribute remarkably to the world.

According to the Indonesian minister, since its birth 50 years ago, the grouping has brought positive impacts to Southeast Asia. It has also laid a foundation for dialogues between regional countries and other nations in the world on issues related to each ASEAN member or the whole bloc.

Indonesia has promoted dialogues to express its viewpoints on relations among ASEAN members and non-member nations, Marsudi said, affirming that the country has pursued stability and security in the region by supporting others while preventing conflicts, transnational organised crimes.

Over the past years, Indonesia has enhanced trade and investment ties with potential markets, particularly Africa and Latin America, while accelerating dialogues with economic partners and effective cooperation methods.

The country has carried out a series of infrastructure development projects, luring huge amounts of foreign investment capital, particularly from China, the US, and Japan.-

Source: VNA

Removing “bottlenecks” in global problems

The Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the world’s leading developed and emerging economies (G20) recently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil emphasised the need to reform global governance institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council. The meeting is also an opportunity for G20 to find solutions to a series of hot issues facing the world, such as poverty, climate change, and conflict.

ASEAN FMs issue statement on maintaining, promoting stability in maritime sphere in Southeast Asia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers on December 30 issued a statement on maintaining and promoting stability in the maritime sphere in Southeast Asia.

Optimistic signals of the world economy

The world economy has overcome a challenging year, but has proven more resilient than expected. The Financial Times (UK) commented that 2023 was a positive year for the world economy as the economic surprise index collated by Citigroup shew that actual data have underwhelmed economists’ predictions for much of the past months. These economic trends are the basis for optimism about the world economy in 2024.