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Foreign Minister Sugiono lists priorities in debut meeting with lawmakers
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Newly appointed Foreign Minister Sugiono smiles before his inauguration at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 21, 2024. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
F
oreign Minister Sugiono revealed on Monday his plans to revive the ministry’s directorate general for economic affairs, as President Subianto Prabowo’s close aide faced scrutiny in his debut meeting at the House of Representatives.
Amid an ever-increasingly tense geopolitical landscape and what he described as an “unfit” global multilateral system, Indonesia will take on a more assertive role in pushing for a just international economic order, Sugiono said, also underlining the importance of improving the country’s resilience.
Appearing before House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs and defense, Sugiono, a Gerindra Party politician who has piqued much interest in diplomatic circles over the past month after being appointed minister, formally introduced himself and his three deputies to lawmakers who wasted no time in probing into the government’s recent activities on the international stage.
In the three-hour meeting, Sugiono faced a long list of questions ranging from Indonesia’s controversial maritime joint development agreement with China to BRICS membership and the international press coverage received by the President following his maiden overseas tour of six countries.
Asserting that there have been no deviations from the principle of non-alignment, Sugiono said that the policies were aligned with Indonesia’s priorities over the next five years, which are to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency, elevate the country’s global influence and improve citizens’ protection.
“Indonesia wants to be a strong, influential and well-respected middle power country,” he said. “To be a well-respected country, we must strengthen our integrity. [We must] improve the people’s welfare and free them from poverty, hunger and ineptitude so that we do not have to depend on other countries.”
As part of achieving Prabowo’s national priorities, Sugiono announced plans to expand the country’s network beyond traditional trading partners, via a new directorate general at the ministry tasked with “strengthening and synchronizing” the process to negotiate economic cooperation with other countries.
