Indonesia Initiates Establishment of ASEAN Maritime Outlook

Enhancing maritime cooperation is one of the priorities of Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023.

IDXChannel - Enhancing maritime cooperation is one of the priorities of Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023. 

This was emphasised by Director for ASEAN Political and Security Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rolliansyah Soemirat, amid preparations for the 43rd ASEAN Summit to be held next week on 5-7 September in Jakarta.

“Indonesia initiated the establishment of the ASEAN Maritime Outlook (AMO) which is a strategic document in strengthening the synergy of maritime cooperation under ASEAN's three pillars,“ said Rolliansyah in a media release on Thursday (31/8/2023)

In the future, AMO will serve as the main reference for maritime cooperation between ASEAN member-states with external partners, he continued.

The potential for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is enormous and multidimensional, strategically, politically, economically, and socially for its people.

The first edition of the AMO, which was recently launched during Indonesia's Chairmanship period, comprehensively summarizes the progress of maritime cooperation in ASEAN. This will be a compass for ASEAN in determining the direction of maritime cooperation in the future. The AMO also provided recommendations on potential maritime cooperation undertaken by ASEAN sectoral bodies, mechanisms, and processes.

This publication serves as a practical reference in understanding maritime trends and challenges in the region, strengthening synergies, and guiding ASEAN to avoid duplication of efforts made among related mechanisms, bodies, and processes. With the identification of various developments, AMO will also open wider cooperation in relations with external partners.

The potential for maritime cooperation is also increasingly open along with the development of new maritime issues, such as cyber-attacks on ships and port facilities, blue economy, and renewable energy.

Going forward, the AMO, which is launched every three years, will serve as a practical reference for ASEAN Leaders, Ministers, Sectoral Bodies, and Partners in understanding and advancing ASEAN maritime cooperation.

This Outlook is expected to make a meaningful contribution to efforts to build a secure, stable, and prosperous ASEAN Community, as well as further strengthen ASEAN's relations with external partners. (WHY)