ASEAN seeks cooperation, not confrontation at sea

The Indonesian president and the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday said that they must be able to transform the ocean into a sea of cooperation, not a sea of confrontation.

Speaking at the 20th ASEAN-India summit, which was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, Joko Widodo said peace must continue to be maintained by respecting international law.

"Seeing the huge potential of the Indian Ocean which connects 33 countries, with 2.9 billion people, and one-fifth of world GDP in 2025, we can encourage this potential for cooperation towards a blue economy, maritime connectivity, and sustainable marine energy resources," said the Indonesian president, according to a transcript issued from the country’s Foreign Ministry in the local language.

“We must be able to make the ocean a sea of cooperation, not a sea of confrontation,” he added.

Recently, ASEAN and India also held joint naval exercises for the first time.

Widodo stressed that peace and stability must continue to be maintained by respecting international law, encouraging habits of cooperation, and building an inclusive regional architecture.

Modi, in his opening remarks, said that despite an environment of global uncertainties, there is continuous progress in every field in their mutual cooperation.

“We had productive discussions on enhancing closer cooperation in key areas to further human empowerment,” Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Today, the final day of the annual summit of the ASEAN, the bloc leaders will meet formal partners while the chairmanship will also handed over to Laos.

Indonesia has been hosting the 43rd summit of ASEAN leaders since Monday.

“The last day of the #ASEANSummit43 gathered ASEAN Leaders to meet with the rest of ASEAN formal partners. Today also marked the handover ceremony of ASEAN Chairmanship from Indonesia to Lao PDR,” ASEAN wrote on X.