Indonesia Talks of Indo-Pacific Stability in ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto talked about the necessity to maintain Indo-Pacific stability, where the world's great powers such as China and the US fight for influence. The challenges faced by the region, Prabowo said, have become more complex.

Prabowo conveyed this message while leading the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting with US Secretary of defense Lloyd J. Austin III in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

"The challenges we currently face are diverse and complex," he said. Prabowo also highlighted that the threats came in traditional and non-traditional forms including cyber threats, transnational crimes, and humanitarian crises.

To respond to these challenges, Prabowo mentioned that ASEAN and its dialogue partners including the US must continue cooperating and promoting peace and security in the region. According to Prabowo, this will create an opportunity to explore cooperation potential in other departments while simultaneously improving ASEAN states capacity to face the growing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ASEAN defense ministers held the two-day meetings on November 15-16, 2023. Together, they discussed the escalating conflicts from Myanmar to the Middle East.

Prabowo in his opening remarks stated that Indonesia, as the biggest Muslim-majority nation was deeply saddened by the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, particularly the "horrid" humanitarian situation.

As the Chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia through Prabowo also urged state members to push for real progress toward a peace solution in Myanmar, a country torn by a violent coup in 2021.

This year's meeting was also held in the middle of an ongoing escalation in the Middle East and Ukraine. Additionally, China is currently accused of proceeding with aggression toward the Phillippines over the disputed South China Sea, backed by the US, and in the middle of strengthening its military relations with Japan.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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