TheJakartaPost
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AMM/PMC as seen from the newsroom
The high attendance of foreign ministers was an implicit recognition of Indonesia’s strategic role as the current chair of ASEAN.
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ASEAN centrality: Delegates from ASEAN and the regional bloc’s dialogue partners attend the 30th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Jakarta on July 14, 2023.
(Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
Jakarta that week was somewhat gloomy. The sun, at times, shied away from embracing the Jakartans and dignitaries for the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Post-Ministerial Conferences (AMM/PMC) with its warmth.
The rather somber atmosphere ran counter to the enthusiasm shown by the delegations partaking in the conferences and other related meetings held from July 11 to 14.
More than 1,000 delegates from 31 countries plus the European Union assembled in Jakarta and around 500 journalists reported the activities live from the meeting venue.
The fact that some foreign ministers from dialogue partners flew out to Jakarta immediately after the NATO meeting in Vilnius demonstrates their strong desire to be a part of the dialogues within the ASEAN platform.
China for its part was represented by Wang Yi, director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and former foreign minister. Within the People’s Republic of China political setting, Wang Yi is higher up than the foreign minister.
All things considered, such enthusiasm confirms that ASEAN matters and ASEAN continues to attract interest among countries within and beyond the region. The high attendance of foreign ministers was also an implicit recognition of Indonesia’s strategic role as the current chair of ASEAN.
