JakartaPost-Oct 12
Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir has pledged to steer Indonesia’s diplomatic corps toward bolstering the country’s domestic resilience and regional standing, arguing that a stronger home front would give Jakarta a louder voice on the world stage. In his first press statement as the country’s top diplomat on Monday, Arrmanatha said he would seek to ensure that Indonesia’s foreign policy remained consistent and predictable for international partners, positioning the country as a source of certainty amid global turbulence through what he called “principled diplomacy”. “In practice, principled diplomacy means, first and foremost, ensuring that our diplomatic efforts serve the national interest and benefit the people,” Arrmanatha said, stressing that Indonesia’s international influence hinges on its domestic stability. He said the ministry would focus on diplomatic efforts that supported food and energy security, digital transformation, industrial development, defense, trade, investment and other strategic sectors, with the aim of ensuring that “the benefits of diplomacy reach the dinner tables of the Indonesian people”. Arrmanatha also reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to its free and active foreign policy principle, which calls for maintaining amicable ties with “all nations” without aligning itself with competing power blocs, while taking an active stance on issues affecting its national interests and principles. Going forward, Indonesia will seek to deepen international partnerships in strategic sectors such as trade, while strengthening its role in regional affairs, with ASEAN remaining an “anchor” of its diplomatic efforts. “Indonesia will push for a more effective, adaptive and relevant ASEAN. Convening power alone is not enough. ASEAN must be able to deliver tangible strategic outcomes that preserve peace, strengthen trust and bring concrete benefits to the people of the region”. Beyond its immediate neighborhood, Indonesia would seek a greater role in shaping the global order, drawing on its ability to engage with countries across geopolitical divides to advocate for a fairer international system for developing countries and the Global South. Read more at:
