Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) to continue fostering comprehensive cooperation to address increasingly complex global challenges.
Addressing the ASEAN-EU Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) within the framework of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-56) in Jakarta on July 13, Retno said the ASEAN-EU cooperation is being tested by the global situation which is facing enormous challenges, adding that to navigate these dynamics, the two sides must continue to enhance comprehensive cooperation.
She mentioned two important aspects for the ASEAN and the EU to overcome challenges, including maintaining an inclusive regional architecture, and enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation.
Retno emphasised that ASEAN has invested heavily in constructing an inclusive regional architecture, expressing her hope that the EU would share the same view on the inclusive collaboration paradigm.
According to the minister, the ASEAN and EU have great potential and they are each other’s third largest trading partner. Both of them also have integrated economies with 450 million consumers in the EU and 650 million in ASEAN.
Indonesia hopes that the ASEAN-EU strategic cooperation can be strengthened based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit, she said./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency