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ndonesia wants ASEAN to expand its influence into other countries in the Indo-Pacific region, which includes all those on the coasts of the Indian and the Pacific oceans, to help create security and prosperity, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“Different from Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, which have long had mature regional cooperation frameworks, there is not yet any regional framework that explores the potential of the Indo-Pacific,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said to the press on Monday.

Since ASEAN was established 50 years ago, he said, it has attempted to create a peaceful and prosperous environment in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Nonetheless, he added, it has yet to expand its role by establishing such an atmosphere in the Indo-Pacific countries. However, geopolitics could bind the countries around the Pacific and Indian oceans to each other if ASEAN builds the framework, he said.

With that aim, Indonesia is taking the initiative to create such a regional framework by approaching countries as far apart as India and Australia, which are already members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and enhancing dialogue with them.

“Indonesia takes the initiative by putting forward transparency, openness and inclusivity based on international regulations,” he said. With such diplomacy, which the ministry called a “block approach,” Indonesia hopes it can shape cooperation between all the countries in the Indo-Pacific, he said. “The cooperation can be about anything, but in the initial process we want to focus on issues of mutual interest, like maritime security.”

Aside from fostering peace and stability, Indonesia is attempting to improve economic and trade cooperation with African countries. Last week in her annual statement to the press, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said Indonesia would prioritize enhancing relations with, among others, Africa as it remained an uncharted territory for Indonesia’s products and businesses.

Indonesia has taken part in developing the Indian Ocean’s regional cooperation framework through IORA — the only forum connecting that ocean’s coastal states. IORA has yet to integrate the whole Indo-Pacific region as it only has a few ASEAN countries as members and none from the Asia-Pacific region. However, it has dialogue partners that include China and Japan.

Indonesia’s initiative seems to display its commitment to uniting Pacific and Indian ocean countries, said Dewi Fortuna Anwar from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). She said previously Indonesia showed its commitment to this by last year organizing IORA’s first summit after 20 years of existence.

Nonetheless, she said, Indonesia should design a clear strategy on how to integrate the regions.

“I personally suggest that it is unnecessary to make one large regional framework. We can just build on the existing smaller frameworks that have interfaces with one another,” Dewi said.

Moreover, she advised that building the frameworks should be ASEAN-driven, considering the fact that the organization has already been initiating such a regional architecture with other regions like Europe.