Indonesia urges ASEAN,

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has called on Japan and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to optimize the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) to strengthen support for Palestine.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said the cooperation forum must foster a spirit of solidarity among its members to provide concrete support for Palestine's recovery and long-term development.

Japan to optimize CEAPAD to support Palestine

"For Indonesia, Palestine is not merely a humanitarian issue. It is a matter of justice, dignity, and the right of the Palestinian people to rebuild their future," Sugiono said in an official statement released here on Thursday.

CEAPAD was established at Japan's initiative in 2013 as a forum to support Palestinian state-building efforts by leveraging the resources, knowledge, and economic development experiences of East Asian countries.

The forum's members include Japan, Palestine, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, the World Bank, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

In addition to discussing support for Palestine, the ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday (July 22), also highlighted the importance of safe and open shipping lanes to ensure the smooth flow of energy, food, trade, and regional supply chains.

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Sugiono said Indonesia welcomed the alignment of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) with Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision.

"Maritime cooperation must remain a primary pillar of the ASEAN-Japan partnership through capacity building, connectivity, and maritime domain awareness," he said.

Sugiono added that frameworks such as the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and ASEAN Plus Three must also be optimized to maintain trade and investment flows and create new opportunities for industrial sectors.

"ASEAN and Japan each possess their own strengths. United by a common goal, this partnership will become even more resilient in maintaining regional peace and prosperity," he said.