Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Opening of the 45th Anniversary of the ASEAN-EU Summit at Justus Lipsius Atrium, Brussels, Belgium, December 14, 2022

Honorable Leaders of the European Union and Leaders of ASEAN,

This year, we celebrate 45 years of the partnership between ASEAN and the European Union. We have gone through many challenges together. The partnership has also yielded good results.

However, I must say that our partnership has not been all good since we need to resolve many differences. Therefore, if we want to build a good partnership, the partnership must be based on equality, no coercion. There should not be any dictating parties who believe that their standard is better than others.

Honorable Leaders,

Southeast Asia has become an economic powerhouse for the last few decades. Many predict Southeast Asia will remain a center of growth. Thus, the partnership with ASEAN will certainly be profitable.

The EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) in September this year has issued a survey report on business perceptions in ASEAN: 63 percent of respondents consider ASEAN as the region with the best economic opportunities, 69 percent of respondents expect the ASEAN market to become more important than the aspect of global income in the next two years and 97 percent of respondents expect that there will be an acceleration of ASEAN-EU FTA negotiations and its members.

Let us build an equal and mutually beneficial partnerships. We have learned important lessons from pandemic and multidimensional crises that we are facing now that growing and prospering together is the only option. We must move forward not only together but also in equal manner. Let us shape a better future together.

I thank you.

(GWH/LW)