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Indonesia to uphold ASEAN centrality, unity at Malaysian summit
The Foreign Ministry has asserted that Indonesia, under the presidency of Prabowo Subianto, has not lost its interest in maintaining the centrality and unity of the regional bloc and will actively participate in negotiations on key issues.
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The logo of ASEAN's 2025 Malaysia's chairmanship is pictured on May 15, 2025, in front of Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
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ndonesia will continue to support the unity of ASEAN and its role as the region’s most central institution, the Foreign Ministry asserted several days before a flurry of the bloc’s meetings begin in Malaysia to discuss the region’s most pressing issues.
President Prabowo Subianto is expected to attend the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, according to the ministry, alongside a delegation composed of diplomats, legislative members, businesspeople and youth representatives.
Once the region’s leaders convene in the Malaysian capital on Monday, further high-level discussions will take place to discuss several issues, including United States trade tariff policy, which has been described by the Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN cooperation director general Sidharto Suryodipuro as “a manifestation of the United States’ protectionism” and a “significantly pressing matter” for the region.
During a press briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday, Sidharto asserted that Indonesia will remain faithful to its “traditional” ASEAN-focused foreign policy under Prabowo’s presidency, which kicked off last October. He added that Jakarta’s delegation would continue to play its role in upholding ASEAN centrality and unity, while taking on an active role in negotiating key issues.
“As defense minister between 2019 and 2024, President Prabowo has a very clear understanding of ASEAN and its mechanism. [...] he also advanced the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific [AOIP] from a defense perspective,” Sidharto said.
Read also: Prabowo’s Southeast Asian trips sideline ASEAN: Analysts
Since campaigning for presidency in the 2024 election, analysts and members of the foreign policy community have expressed concerns that the former Army general would pay less focus to ASEAN and its mechanisms given his past criticism of the group.
