Indonesia Hands over ASEAN Chairmanship to Laos

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN Summit in Jakarta is wrapped up on Thursday, September 7, 2023. Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi handed over the chairmanship to Laos.

Jokowi chaired twelve high-level meetings during the 43rd ASEAN Summit from Tuesday to Thursday, September 5-7, 2023. The summit adopted 90 documents and agreements with key partners.

Key partners include the United States, Australia, China, and Russia. Among the documents agreed upon by the member countries was the alliance’s strengthening mechanism through Concord IV which would serve as the ASEAN Joint Vision 2045. The leaders also agreed on a five-point consensus review to resolve the Myanmar crisis.

“This strengthens hope, enthusiasm to continue the fight, to create a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region,” Jokowi said in his closing remarks on Thursday, September 7, 2023.

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said in his speech that he would assume leadership of what Indonesia had achieved.

“We will focus on strengthening the ASEAN community,” Viphavanh said. After the speech, he received the gavel in a symbolic transfer of the ASEAN chairmanship from Jokowi.

The Myanmar crisis still haunts the ASEAN Summit. The country has been wracked by violence and political and economic chaos since the military coup in 2021.

ASEAN has thus banned the Myanmar junta from attending high-level meetings until significant progress is made on the five-point consensus.

Earlier at the East Asia Summit which was also attended by the US and China leaders, President Jokowi called for a shared responsibility not to create new conflicts, new tensions, or new wars.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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