Borrell was in Jakarta on Thursday for a string of meetings with Indonesian officials, which included a courtesy call on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He also met with officials from the ASEAN Secretariat.

“The history of mankind of the 21^st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific area. We have to be aware of that. We have to be aware that the center of gravity of the world is no longer in the middle of Europe; it is here in the [...] so-called Indo-Pacific,” he said during a joint press statement with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Bearing this in mind, the former Spanish foreign minister said that Indonesia, together with ASEAN, would play a very important role in the shift of power, which is why the EU would have to pay more attention to the country.

In her own remarks, Retno said that “open and inclusive” cooperation in the Indo-Pacific would prevent harmful rivalries and ensure continued regional stability, peace and prosperity, in accordance with the principles reflected in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

“I also emphasize the importance of concrete cooperation with the European Union in various fields in the context of Indo-Pacific cooperation,” she said.

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