Indonesia Asks Russia to Help ASEAN Handle Pandemic, Myanmar Crisis

Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, encouraged Russia and ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in the health sector, particularly in handling the pandemic and economic recovery as well as resolving the Myanmar crisis.

She conveyed this at the ASEAN-Russia Special Ministerial Meeting which was held virtually on Tuesday. Indonesian Foreign Minister and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov co-chaired the meeting in Jakarta.

The increase in COVID-19 cases, the emergence of new variants and the global vaccination gap are reminders that ASEAN and Russia must work together better in dealing with the pandemic,” said the Indonesian Foreign Minister in her opening speech.

“But on the other hand, efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region must still be a major concern,” she added.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister encouraged Russia to support the fulfillment of vaccine needs in the region through dose-sharing, prioritize ASEAN countries as Russian vaccine recipients and explore the possibility of joint production with ASEAN member countries.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister also invited ASEAN and Russia to jointly strengthen support for the COVAX Facility, negotiations on the TRIPS Waiver and equality of recognition for vaccines.

As for Myanmar, Indonesia invites Russia to support ASEAN’s centrality and efforts to overcome the situation in Myanmar, including the implementation of the five consensus points that were agreed at a meeting some time ago.

Russia has been a strategic partner of ASEAN since 1996 and over the past 25 years has developed close relations and cooperation in various fields, including politics and security, economy, social and culture. Indonesia is the coordinating country for the ASEAN-Russia partnership for the period 2018-2021. (R/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)