Minister Retno: Indonesia Ready to Host South China Sea Negotiations

Congqing, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said Indonesia is ready to host the South China Sea Code of Conduct negotiation meeting in Jakarta in the near future.

“ASEAN and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) must immediately continue discussing the Code of Conduct, whose progress is currently very slow,” said Retno during a special meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers – PRC Foreign Ministers in Chongqing on Monday.

The meeting was held in the context of celebrating 30 years of partnership relations between ASEAN and China.

“We hope that these negotiations can be concluded quickly with effective and substantive results,” she added.

Indonesia, continued Retno, also encourages all parties to continue to comply with the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct (DOC), including self-restraint.

“I reiterate that our ability to manage the South China Sea will strengthen our equal, mutually beneficial and indispensable partnership for global peace and stability. And everything must be done in accordance with UNCLOS 1982,” she stressed. (L/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)