Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. (Photo: AFP/VNA) The Indo-Pacific needs to stay peaceful and stable and notbe 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' Meetingin 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 inclusiveIndo-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 thattheir 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 existingdifferences should not be separators, but instead enrich collective efforts andbecome strengths, she added.
The minister held that despite differences, the EAS can create harmonyand 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, theRepublic of Korea, Russia, and the United States./.
VNA
