Stay Relevant, Indonesian FM Urges ASEAN
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Masurdi speaks during a session held at ASEAN Media Forum on October 31 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: ASEAN
- By Torn Chanritheara
- October 31, 2023 6:00 PM
JAKARTA – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has urged ASEAN nations to stay relevant as the regional bloc faces many internal and external challenges.
Major power rivalries, food crises and escalated tension between Israel and Hamas had created fears about peace and stability while ASEAN was still trying to solve the Myanmar crisis among other issues.
In a ‘Conversation with ASEAN Chair’ session on Oct. 31 during the ASEAN Media Forum in Jakarta, Marsudi said tension in the Middle East was relevant to ASEAN and the wider region.
“We should be grateful we have been blessed by peace and stability in the region for more than five decades. I think we shall never take peace for granted,” she said.
“It does not fall from the sky. ASEAN needs to work hard to maintain it.”
As ASEAN Chair for 2023, she said Indonesia has aimed to address such issues but ASEAN need to stay relevant, capable and agile to address not only current but also future challenges.
Highlighting the achievements under Indonesian Chairmanship, Marsudi said ASEAN had shown its central role and navigated differences and despite geo-political issues, ASEAN could manage to find a middle ground.
On Myanmar, she said it was regrettable that there had not been much progress in the five-point consensus but efforts had been made to have a wider dialogue.
“We will make sure humanitarian assistance access continues to expand gradually including to areas of active conflicts,” she said.
Marsudi said ASEAN was not perfect but played a key role in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity.
“Can you imagine the Southeast Asia Region without ASEAN?” she said. “Stories of peace are less frequently told than stories of conflict and war.”
She said that sometimes ASEAN’s imperfection made better headlines than its many achievements.
She quoted Albert Einstein saying if judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
“We can’t expect ASEAN to be what it is not. But one thing is for sure. ASEAN has made significant contributions to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region,” she said.
