Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday (May 13) to attend the European Union-led Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”As the chair of ASEAN, Indonesia was invited to attend the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in the capacity of one of the keynote speakers,” Marsudi noted in a press release from Stockholm that ANTARA received here Sunday. Sweden currently holds the presidency of the European Union, and on the sidelines of the forum, Minister Marsudi held a meeting with 22 foreign affairs ministers or ministry-level officials.The ministerial forum was again held after the similar meeting in Paris last year where Indonesia also attended as a keynote speaker. t this year’s forum, RetnoMarsudi.told the participants that collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region was one of the issues discussed at the 42nd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN). She reiterated that the regional grouping did not want theIndo-Pacific to be a theater of rivalry between great powers. “Therefore, we all need to work together, including efforts made at this forum, to ensure that the Indo-Pacific will be a peace and prosperous region,” Marsudi pointed out. ccording to the minister, ASEANis open for collaboration with all countries with no exceptions. She, however, emphasized that any cooperation must be forged by respecting international law, and the collaborative paradigm must be adopted by all. “ASEAN has persistently been upholding these two principles for half a century, and I believe these are exactly the principles that fit with the Indo-Pacific,” she said. ll parties should engage in the Indo-Pacific in an inclusive manner, so that all can take benefit from the peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, she added. Furthermore, any cooperation in the region should also be concrete and beneficial to the people, and forward looking to enable the nations to address various challenges in the future. Marsudialso invited.all attending the meeting, especially those of business sectors, to participate in the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum that will take place in Jakarta in September and will be held back to back with the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum serves as a platform for all parties to optimizethe potential cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: Antara News Agency