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Economy, regional security among focus in Indonesia-Japan bilateral talks
This year marks the 65th year of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan, as well as the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan relations.
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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (third right) talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa (third left) during a bilateral talk between two countries on the sideline of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jakarta on July 13, 2023. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
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ndonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met for bilateral talks on Thursday on the sidelines of ASEAN high-level meetings in Jakarta, encouraging stronger bilateral cooperation on economy and regional security.
The two ministers agreed to speed up the negotiations to amend the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) protocols, according to a statement from the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. The negotiation is expected to be completed at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta in September.
The agreement was first agreed upon in 2007, focusing on liberalization, trade and investment facilitation and cooperation. But Jakarta has been attempting to renegotiate a few provisions at least since 2020, such as lowering tariff for fishery products.
During the talk, both ministers agreed that the ASEAN regional forum, a group of 27 countries that include China, Russia and North Korea, must be used for what they called preventive diplomacy. The forum will meet on Friday afternoon.
“On the situation in the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Retno also said that Indonesia is consistent in upholding international law, in this case the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS],” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Retno also updated Hayashi on the situation with Myanmar, stating that Indonesia had engaged at least seven times as ASEAN chair with conflicting stakeholders in the country.
