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US congratulates Indonesia for 79 years of independence
The US congratulated Indonesia for its 79th Independence Day on Aug. 17 in a statement from State Secretary Blinken, which highlighted the country's shared values of democracy and rule of law while expressing hope for greater bilateral cooperation.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right) greets United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 14, 2023 during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta. (AFP/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Pool)
U
nited States Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed well-wishes for Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day on Saturday, highlighting the two countries’ shared goal of “promoting democracy, respect for rule of law and friendship between [...] peoples” in a statement.
The US’ top diplomat also congratulated Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto and expressed hope for greater bilateral collaboration on regional and international issues, such as regional peace and security and the climate crisis.
“[The US] looks forward to working together to expand cooperation on issues of common concern, including fostering peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, tackling the climate crisis and the clean energy transition, promoting sustainable development, upholding human rights protections and advancing Indonesia’s digital transformation,” Blinken said in the statement.
Read also: New Indonesia-US partnership unlikely to get off ground without reforms, analysts say
He also underlined that the US would continue working with Indonesia under bilateral relations as well as the American engagement with ASEAN, especially in “promoting stability and prosperity in the Indo Pacific”.
Indonesia and the US has maintained bilateral ties for 75 years across various fields, from the economy to defense.
Last November, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo flew to Washington for a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House, where the two leaders discussed several issues including new cooperation in defense and the climate.
Also at that meeting, Jokowi reportedly asked Biden to help stop the atrocities and wholesale killing of the Palestinian people in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s retaliatory action in the wake of Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
