​PRESS BRIEFING
H.E. RETNO L. P. MARSUDI
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS' RETREAT

JAKARTA, 3 FEBRUARY 2023

Colleagues from the media.

Good afternoon. Hope you are all well.

We have just concluded the first day of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat.

This is the first ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting this year under Indonesia's Chairmanship.

This is also the first ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting attended by the new ASEAN Secretary General, H.E. Kao Kim Hourn.

To kick off, earlier this morning all ASEAN Foreign Ministers paid a courtesy call to President Joko Widodo at Istana Merdeka.

In the meeting, President Jokowi underlined two important points:

First, ASEAN must not be a proxy to any side.

ASEAN centrality and unity must be safeguarded and maintained as our main modality.

At the same time, the President also underlined the importance of upholding principles of democracy, law, and human rights in line with the ASEAN Charter.

The second message of President Jokowi is that ASEAN must continue to become an epicentrum of growth.

This can only be achieved if political stability and regional peace is maintained.

President Jokowi appreciated the support of all ASEAN member States and looks forward to the attendance of Leaders to the upcoming ASEAN Summits.

Now I would like to share some points of two Meetings that we had today, namely: a working Lunch to discuss review on implementation of the 5PC and the 32^nd ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC).

WORKING LUNCH
 
I'd like to start with the Working Lunch.   

The meeting is dedicated to discuss the Myanmar issue in an open, in-depth, and frank manner as one family.

I briefed the meeting on Indonesia's approaches on Myanmar as Chair.

For Indonesia, Five-Point Consensus (5PC) is the main reference to address the Myanmar crisis.    

In this regard,  Indonesia will put forward three approaches.

First, engage all stakeholders as a first step to facilitate possibilities of an inclusive national dialogue.

I also shared my initial engagements with all stakeholders.

Second, build conducive conditions to pave the way for an inclusive dialogue.

Two important issues for conducive conditions: one is reducing violence and continuation of humanitarian assistance.

These two conditions are paramount to build trust and confidence.

Third, synergize ASEAN efforts with neighbouring, concerned countries and Special Envoys of the UN and other countries.

All members  during the working lunch rendered their full support to the approaches of Indonesia in addressing the situation in Myanmar.

During the working lunch, we discussed and agreed:

• ​To urge significant progress in the implementation of 5PC to pave the way for inclusive national dialogue in Myanmar;
• That inclusive national dialogue is key to find a peaceful resolution to the situation in Myanmar; and
• Conducive environment should be created for an inclusive dialogue, by reducing violence, and ensuring timely and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance.

During the Working Lunch, the Foreign Ministers reiterated the united approach, I repeat, the united approach in addressing the situation in Myanmar through the 5PC.

32^nd ASEAN COORDINATING COUNCIL

The second meeting is the 32^nd ACC.

The 32^nd ACC is historic as we welcome Timor-Leste participation in ASEAN meeting for the first time.

I congratulated Minister Adaljiza Magno of Timor-Leste on this occasion.

One of the main agendas of the ACC is to brief the meeting on Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship Priorities and deliverables throughout the year.

In this regard, I briefed on 3 pillars of Indonesia's chairmanship.

First pillar is on ASEAN Matters.

I stressed ASEAN needs to remain relevant by maintaining its centrality and becoming an anchor of stability and regional prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

At the same time, I also underlined the need to have a forward-looking ASEAN with a strong capacity to anticipate and address future challenges.

In this context, Indonesia will propose  initiatives to strengthen ASEAN's readiness to address current and future challenges towards 2045;

Institutionalize dialogue on human rights; and enhance ASEAN cooperation to prevent and combat Trafficking in Persons.

Second pillar is on Epicentrum of Growth.

In line with this, ASEAN needs to ensure a region of inclusive, robust, and sustainable economic growth.

Under this pillar Indonesia will propose an outcome that will attain ASEAN region as epicentrum of growth.

Four main aspects that will be our focus namely:

• strengthening ASEAN health architecture 
• strengthening food security including ensuring robust supply chains and facilitation of trade
• ensuring energy security to support transition from fossil energy to clean and renewable energy among others by developing regional electric vehicle ecosystem
• strengthening financial stability to further ensure resilience of our economy against future external shocks.

And the third pillar of our chairmanship is on the implementation of ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

As mandated by our Leaders, Indonesia will push for the follow up on Mainstreaming the Four Priority Areas of AOIP.

Indonesia will identify a list of concrete projects for the implementation of AOIP that will include all ASEAN partners.

Our chairmanship will also strengthen ASEAN relations with the Pacific, through establishing a Secretariat-to-Secretariat cooperation between ASEAN and PIF.

I also conveyed that Indonesia will also convene several flagship events under the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum to implement ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific which include

• ​The Youth Dialogue on Digital Development for SDGs that will be convened in April;
• The Creative Economy Forum in August;
• The Infrastructure Forum and the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit that will be held back to back with the 43^rd ASEAN Summit in September.

Colleagues,

In the beginning of the meeting of the ACC, the ASEAN Secretary-General briefed the meeting regarding operationalization of recommendations on strengthening ASEAN's Capacity and Institutional Effectiveness;

and then modalities of Timor Leste's participation in ASEAN meetings and look forward to ACC's guidance on the roadmap; and

the importance of ASEAN Member States to seize potential of the Blue Economy.

The outcomes of the ACC Meeting among others are:  

First, the ACC adopted the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Observer Status granted to Timor-Leste in ASEAN and we adopted also the revised ToR of the ACC Working Group on Timor-Leste.

The ACC also tasked the ACC Working Group on Timor-Leste to work on the draft Roadmap for Timor-Leste full membership.  

Second, the ACC endorsed the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Economic Integration to develop an ASEAN Blue Economy Framework.

Third, the ACC tasked SOM to explore the establishment of SOM Working Group with a mandate to strengthen ASEAN decision-making process.

Fourth, the ACC tasked CPR to review the TOR of the CPR and finalize the TOR of EAS Ambassadors' Meeting in Jakarta (EAMJ); and discuss the revision of “Modalities for Chair of ASEAN and ASEAN Sectoral Bodies to Host Meetings at the ASEAN Secretariat" and address the funding issue.

The ACC also agreed that the COVID-19 Response Fund will be expanded into ASEAN Response Fund for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ASEAN Response Fund).

BILATERAL MEETING WITH THAILAND AND BRUNEI
 
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Aside from those meetings today, I have also had bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister of Thailand yesterday and Brunei this afternoon.

In the meetings, we discussed developments in Myanmar,  Indonesia's approaches, and Indonesia's priorities as well as deliverables in our chairmanship.

We also discussed various bilateral issues of common concern, among others cooperation on economic, investment, law enforcement, maritime connectivity, and domestic migrant workers.

That is all I can say for today.

Tomorrow morning, we will have the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat that will start very early in the morning.