Indonesia Committed to Enhancing Cooperation with Pacific Region

Jakarta: Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi conducted a series of bilateral meetings with countries and international organizations in the Pacific, namely Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), ahead of the Indonesia-Pacific Forum for Development (IPFD) in Bali, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
 
"Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest Melanesian race in the Pacific. At least 11 million Indonesian citizens are of the Melanesian race," said the Indonesian Minister in a media release on Tuesday.
 
As part of the Pacific, Indonesia is committed to continuing to enhance cooperation with the Pacific region. Through the vision of Pacific Elevation, Indonesia's commitment to the Pacific is very clear and consistent.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Adaljiza Albertina from Timor Leste expressed her appreciation for the principal acceptance of Timor Leste as a member of ASEAN. Timor Leste's full membership roadmap will soon be prepared with the ASEAN Secretariat. 
 
The two Ministers for Foreign Affairs also briefly discussed the status of land border negotiations. Minister Retno Marsudi said that it is important to maintain conducive conditions for significant progress on the negotiations. 
 
In a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea, Justin Tkatchenko, Minister Retno Marsudi congratulated Minister Tkatchenko for his appointment as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of PNG. Indonesia and PNG have a strong relationship, and the two Ministers agreed to continue strengthening cooperation, including in the economy. 
 
Minister Tkatcheno emphasized PNG's position on the principle of respect for Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also committed to speeding up the completion of the ratification process of Basic Agreement on Border Arrangements and the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defense. 
 
The PNG Minister for Foreign Affairs Papua welcomes the proposal of the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs regarding the extension of the agreement on the prevention and control of cross-border crime and capacity building, which has expired in 2022. The two Ministers  also discussed plans to form a Preferential Trade Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty to increase trade cooperation between the two countries.
 
Several shared commitments were discussed during the meeting between the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and the Director General of MSG Leonard Louma, including maritime economic cooperation, strengthening of the institutional capacity of the MSG Secretariat, socio-cultural cooperation between Melanesian races, and strengthening of the cooperation in the security sector region through the mechanism of the Regional Security Strategy Working Group.
 
"Indonesia will always enhance its role as an Associate Member and welcomes efforts to enhance cooperation in overcoming issues of common concern, including the impact of COVID-19, food security, blue economy, and climate change," said the Indonesian Minister.
 
On this occasion, the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs also received Richard Kaltongga, Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Vanuatu. The meeting discussed steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation.  
 
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