WNAM REPORT: Indonesia expects the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be more responsive to development gap issues in the region, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs stated here on Monday.
The ministry’s Deputy for International Economic Cooperation, Edi Prio Pambudi, who led the Indonesian delegation at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits, expressed optimism that the region would carry out more actions in responding to development issues.
The forum is being held on October 6-11, 2024 in Vientiane, Laos.
“We have many initiatives for the sustainability agenda, but what is more important is how we formulate a strategic action plan to carry out these various initiatives,” Pambudi remarked.
At the forum, the delegations discussed economic issues encompassing the regional economic landscape, economic achievements, and implementation of the ASEAN Blueprint 2025.
Discussions also covered issues surrounding sustainability, digital transformation, preparation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Strategic Plan for 2026-2030, Timor-Leste’s membership, and documents to be agreed upon at the ministerial and head-of-state level forums.
“I congratulate Laos on its 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship. There have been many positive achievements, but there are several initiatives that need to be paid attention to in the future,” he remarked.
Some initiatives highlighted by Pambudi included strengthening the tourism infrastructure, paying attention to geopolitical and geoeconomic issues, and identifying potential cooperation with ASEAN partners, including with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Laos’ ASEAN chairmanship in 2024 raises the theme of “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.”
Through this theme, Laos has the main mission of promoting infrastructure connectivity, narrowing the development gap, promoting economic integration, improving people-to-people relations, and strengthening ASEAN relations with external partners.
To support this, ASEAN, under Laos’ Chairmanship, focuses on three main strategies: integration and connectivity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
