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Jokowi says ASEAN stands united, above all else
The Indonesian President has opened the 43rd ASEAN Summit by asserting that the 10-member regional bloc still stands united amid the adverse conditions in contemporary geopolitics, noting that differences in opinion were healthy and indicated the grouping's underlining principle of equality.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo waits at center stage as other ASEAN heads of state take their spots for a “family photo” on Sept. 5, 2023, during the opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, Central Jakarta. (Reuters/Dita Alangkara/Pool)
O
pening this year’s ASEAN Summit on Tuesday in the nation’s capital, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has asserted that the 10-nation regional bloc still stands united regardless of any differences in opinion or internal instability among member states related to recent geopolitical issues.
The summit agenda includes launching the group’s next long-term road map, ASEAN Concord IV.
But the regional bloc has been struggling with internal instability as a result of rising tensions in the South China Sea, the region’s most strategic waterway, and the Myanmar coup crisis, as well as other issues challenging its effectiveness as an institution.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr previously pledged that he would push ASEAN to issue a statement against Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, while Malaysia has called for the bloc to issue strong and effective measures against the Myanmar junta.
But Jokowi said different views within ASEAN might be a good sign of equal footing among member states, which he said was a rare commodity in today’s world full of conflicts and injustices.
“ASEAN is different,” the President said in his opening speech for the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which runs from Sept. 5 to 7 at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
