Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his
disappointment over the failed Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
communiqué during the newly arranged ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia.
"This had never happened
since the ASEAN was established. I am disappointed and really concerned,"
Yudhoyono told the media on Monday to comment on the ASEAN foreign ministers'
failure to reach a consensus regarding the prolonged South China Sea dispute.
The impromptu press conference
was made after Yudhoyono met with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa at the
Presidential Office in the morning to talk about the fallout of the one-week
ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
The summit ended on July 13, for
the first time in ASEAN's 45-year history, with no joint communiqué.
"This could lead to
misperceptions or false depictions about ASEAN. The media has said ASEAN was
broken and there was no longer unity in the region," Yudhoyono said.
"I disagree. ASEAN is not
shattered and there is no disunity despite existing issues that must be
resolved," he added.
Indonesia is one of ASEAN's
founding members,
Marty said he was called by
Yudhoyono and asked to meet the President at the latter's office immediately
after he returned home from Cambodia.
"The President has
instructed me to tour some ASEAN cities to meet my counterparts with a hope
that we can still reach consensus before the upcoming ASEAN Summit in November
at the latest," Marty said.
Among ASEAN cities, Marty has
planned to visit in the near future Manila, the Philippines; Hanoi, Vietnam;
Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Bagus BT Saragih
The Jakarta Post/Asia News
Network
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment