JAKARTA, April 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto are positive about the outcome of the Asean and Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) strategic dialogue at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
They believe the meeting will enhance Asean's cooperation with the GCC, particularly in trade and investment, as a new economic power.
The two leaders joined Asean and GCC ministers invited by the WEF to discuss and identify how both organisations can enhance cooperation for sustainable growth amid global uncertainty.
In a statement yesterday, Airlangga said that Indonesia, Malaysia, and Laos are the troika of the Asean chair this year.
Troika is a concept of rotating the chairman of an event to ensure the continuity of the issues discussed.
Asean chairmanship last year was held by Indonesia with the theme “Epicentrum of Growth”, while this year, the position was handed to Laos, which also coincides with the Asean-GCC Summit.
The Asean chair will be held by Malaysia next year.
“Inter-regional cooperation is important, especially to the domestic agenda of achieving a ‘Golden Indonesia’ by 2045 amid the global economic slowdown and the current escalation of geopolitical tensions,” he said.
Airlangga also called for GCC countries to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to strengthen economic cooperation established by Asean and partner countries, as this will become the largest trade bloc in the world.
“The trade bloc could facilitate various potential collaborations in the trade, investment, digital economy, Islamic finance, small and medium enterprise, and youth exchange sectors,” he said.
Implementing the Asean-GCC framework needs to be clearer and more concrete, as the free trade agreement cooperation needs to start with the GCC countries to open up new investment and trade opportunities.
“The agriculture, energy, and tourism sectors should be given focus, including cooperation in the fields of energy transition, carbon storage, education, culture, and the halal product industry, which will contribute to increasing food and energy security and send a signal to the world that Asean-GCC is a new economic power,” Airlangga said.
— Bernama
