Indonesia urges concrete ASEAN-EU cooperation on trade, energy, and human resources

Indonesia is encouraging the strengthening of the ASEAN and European Union partnership through concrete cooperation in trade, energy, and human resource development during the ASEAN-European Union Post-Ministerial Conference in Manila, the Philippines. Foreign Minister Sugiono stated that interconnected global challenges make the partnership between ASEAN and the EU increasingly relevant for maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in both regions. “ASEAN and the EU have a shared responsibility to maintain peace, strengthen stability, and bring prosperity to the people of both regions,” Sugiono said in a written statement from the Foreign Ministry on Thursday. In the economic field, Indonesia is pushing for steps towards an ASEAN-EU free trade agreement by leveraging the momentum of various bilateral trade agreements between the EU and individual ASEAN member states. Sugiono noted that closer economic integration would strengthen trade and investment while enhancing the supply chain resilience of both regions. In the energy sector, Indonesia encouraged the EU to continue supporting ASEAN’s energy transition while paying attention to energy security, affordability, and supply reliability. “There are broader opportunities for energy infrastructure investment accompanied by technology transfer, technical cooperation, and capacity building,” the Foreign Minister said. Indonesia also stressed the importance of strengthening people-to-people ties as the foundation of the partnership. Sugiono remarked that the ASEAN-EU partnership, representing over one billion people and roughly one-fifth of the global economy, has a shared interest in strengthening multilateralism and upholding a rules-based international order. He also underlined the importance of consistently applying international law in addressing various global challenges. The meeting sets the stage for the 2027 ASEAN-EU Summit, which will mark 50 years of partnership between the two regions.