REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said she would push for the materialization of the vision to make Indonesia the world's maritime axis. The concept would be put forward in bilateral, regional and international meetings, to bring to reality the maritime vision of the government, Marsudi said.
"We will seek to carry out the programs and mission given by the president and push for their realization," she said in her first news conference as a new minister of foreign affairs on Wednesday
She said the issue would be raised in a number of international meetings such as the ASEAN summit meeting to be held in Myanmar on Nov. 12-13.
"We would put forward the maritime concept at the summit meeting through the ASEAN Maritime Forum," she said.
There are more summit meetings to be held this year such as the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) in Nov. 10-11 in China, and the G20 summit meeting in Nov. 15-16 in Australia.
"The summit meetings would offer an opportunity for Indonesia to explain to the world the country's development plans including the maritime concept," Marsudi said.
She said she already asked for holding a number of bilateral meetings during the summit meetings.
"We would explain what Indonesia wants," she added.
She said the foreign ministry would prepare the Standard Operation Procedure and rule of engagement over maritime areas of which no border agreement had been reached. In addition the foreign ministry would also call for bilateral or regional cooperation to establish maritime connectivity and to facilitate sea lane expansion, she said.
"We have to move with our identity as a maritime country. Therefore we would push for the acceptance of the concept of world maritime axis and maritime cooperation with a number of other archipelago countries," Marsudi said.
Retno Marsudi, former Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, was named foreign minister to replace Marty Natalegawa. She is the country's first woman foreign minister.
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