JAKARTA, Sept 7 — Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) pushed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and India to cooperate in realising a blue economy to provide even greater benefits to the communities of both parties, said ANTARA news agency.
The World Bank describes the blue economy as an eco-friendly utilisation of marine resources that aims to stimulate economic growth, improve welfare, and preserve marine ecosystems.
“We still need to further optimise this collaboration (between Asean and India),” he remarked at the 20th Asean-India Summit at the Jakarta Convention Centre, Senayan, on Thursday.
The 20th summit of Asean and India was held as part of a series of activities of the 43rd Asean Summit, being hosted by Indonesia, as the 2023 Asean chair, from September 5 to September 7 in Jakarta.
Indonesia succeeds Cambodia as the chair of the regional bloc. The 43rd Asean Summit itself succeeds the 42nd Asean Summit that was successfully organised by Indonesia earlier in May in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara Province.
In his opening remarks at the 20th Asean-India Summit, President Jokowi extended his appreciation to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his willingness to attend the summit even though his country is currently occupied with preparations for hosting the G20 Summit.
The president stated the cooperation forged between Asean and India has been providing mutual benefits for their communities, noting that both parties still need to tap into other opportunities in their collaboration.
The Indian Ocean, connecting 33 countries, with a total population of 2.9 billion, can contribute as much as one-fifth to the world’s overall gross domestic product in 2025.
To optimise the potential, Asean countries and India can enhance their cooperation to realise the blue economy, create maritime connectivity, and sustain marine resources, he pointed out.
At the summit, the president also endorsed cooperation between Asean and India on tackling maritime crimes, such as piracy, drug and human smuggling activities, and illegal fishing.
The Indonesian head of state encouraged the leaders of Asean and India to continue to collaborate to make the ocean an arena of amity and cooperation, rather than enmity and confrontations.
Asean countries and India should also continue to maintain the ocean’s stability and peace by respecting international law, promoting the culture of cooperation, and building an inclusive regional architecture, he emphasised.
“These are the keys to create a region that can become a centre of growth,” he stated.
President Jokowi’s remark aligns with Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship theme of Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth, which reflects the country’s determination to position Asean as a centre of economic, political, and sociocultural growth.
— Bernama
