Foreign Minister Rolls Out Ambitious Diplomatic To-do List for 2011

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

8 January 2011

Indonesia will be busy this year in its role as chair of ASEAN and in its attempts to exercise all-out diplomacy as it seeks to make its mark on regional politics.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa disclosed what the government had planned for the year, ranging from hosting ASEAN ministerial meetings and summits to addressing prolonged challenges and discovering new opportunities of cooperation at different levels.

“We begin a new year in Indonesia’s foreign policy with a strong sense of purpose and determination not only to continue and build on the gains of the past year, but also to identify new opportunities and possibilities,” he said Friday at an annual press statement at the ministry.

Marty said Indonesia would manifest its independent and active foreign policy within a remarkably complex regional and global milieu.

“Indonesia would not only overcome whatever challenges it now faces but also thrive in a new and complex geopolitical setting... safeguarding its security and prosperity [and] contributing to the promotion of international peace and stability.”

He said Indonesia’s bilateral diplomacy this year would involve building and nurturing a foreign policy constituency — especially among the Indonesian youth.

“The focus of our bilateral diplomacy will be on efforts to enhance people-to-people relations and to deepen economic diplomacy that will bring real contributions to national development,” he added.

Marty said Indonesia did in the past and would continue in 2011 to exercise “quiet diplomacy” to ensure relations in the region would remain characterized by peace and friendship as stipulated in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

With more challenges defying national solutions, there was also a need to involve collaboration and cooperation among nations to address national, regional and global issues, Marty added.

Transnational organized threats and crimes — such as terrorism, people trafficking and smuggling and corruption — were expected to continue to pose dangers.

“Since practically all such threats demand cooperation among nations for their resolution, all have a foreign policy dimension,” Marty said.

Veteran diplomat and legal expert Hasjim Djalal and University of Indonesia international relations expert Syamsul Hadi agreed that it would not be difficult for Indonesia to meet its targets.

“What I would like to see more of is how the foreign minister sharpens Indonesia’s role in ASEAN in a dispute settlement mechanism because clearly the High Council of ASEAN cannot do anything,” Hasjim said.

Syamsul called on the government to implement foreign policies that would really benefit the people.