Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has underlined that Indo-Pacific needs to stay a peaceful region, as it is home to 60% of the world's population and the biggest contributor to the global economy over the next three decades.
The Indo-Pacific needs to stay peaceful and stable and not be another battleground of powerful countries looking to influence the region, the Indonesian minister was quoted by local media as saying at the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta on July 14.
The Indo-Pacific is at a critical juncture, she stated, stressing that the EAS forum will contribute to a safe, stable, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that also encourages collaboration with other regions.
Imagine the EAS as a train, and the commitment to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and Bali Principles as railroads, she said, adding that the EAS members must ensure that their roads cross, not hinder each other.
She said that all parties must work together to bridge, instill trust and build an inclusive regional architecture. The existing differences should not be separators, but instead enrich collective efforts and become strengths, she added.
The minister held that despite differences, the EAS can create harmony and build a common agenda.
The EAS is a regional forum that involves 18 EAS countries, which are 10 ASEAN members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States./.
VNA
