Indonesia seeks strengthening of ASEAN-India food, maritime ties

Jakarta, July 26 (ANTARA) - Indonesia pushed for bolstering food and maritime cooperation at the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.

"We learn from our experience, especially during the pandemic, after the pandemic, and also due to the war, this food security issue is still a big challenge for all of us, for the world and also for the region," Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said, according to her statement released the same day.

Last year, during Indonesia's chairmanship, ASEAN and India agreed on the Joint Leaders' Statement on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises.

Marsudi expressed the hope that ASEAN and India will jointly implement cooperation to strengthen food security in response to conflict.

In the maritime sector, the minister said, maintaining maritime peace and stability is a common goal of ASEAN and India.

"We all certainly want this maritime domain to be an arena for cooperation, and not an arena for confrontation," she stressed.

Indonesia has pushed for the concrete implementation of the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Maritime Cooperation agreed upon last year in Jakarta, especially in the areas of blue economy development, maritime connectivity, and sustainable maritime energy resource development.

In terms of cooperation between ASEAN and countries in the Indian Ocean Rim (IORA), Marsudi submitted a proposal to translate ASEAN-IORA cooperation into an action plan.

She asked India, as an important and respected member of IORA, to support the strengthening of cooperation between ASEAN and IORA.

Under Indonesia's chairmanship last year, ASEAN and IORA agreed to a memorandum of understanding to build an inclusive regional architecture.

During this year's ASEAN-India meeting, Minister Marsudi also raised the issue of Palestine and urged countries to redouble their support and commitment to Palestine.

She reiterated the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, ensuring the unhindered distribution of humanitarian assistance, and recognition and support for Palestine's membership in the UN.

Like Indonesia, India has recognized Palestine and is providing assistance through the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).