Jakarta (ANTARA) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday affirmed complete support for the ‘ASEAN Outlook on Indopacific’ initiative introduced by Indonesia and said Japan will adopt it.
“Japan fully supports the ‘ASEAN Outlook on Indopacific’, which Indonesia has initiated for adoption,” Suga said in a joint press statement with Indonesian President Joko Widodo after a bilateral meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java.
PM Suga said Japan has fundamental affinities to the vision of a free and open Indopacific.
Hence, Japan will cooperate with Indonesia ahead of the ASEAN summit, which is scheduled to be held in November, 2020, he added.
Japan, along with Indonesia, which is a maritime country in the Indopacific region as well as a strategic partner, will encourage further cooperation, including in efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated.
"In the meeting with President Jokowi, I emphasized Japan's determination to initiate efforts to contribute to peace and prosperity in the region by mentioning ASEAN plays an important role in realizing a free and open Indopacific," he said.
Japan would cooperate and join hands with Indonesia for the realization of regional peace and prosperity based on a strategic partnership between the two nations, he added.
PM Suga also said he hopes his visit would help strengthen cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Japanese premier is on a two-day visit to Indonesia, his first since assuming office in early September, 2020.
"This visit demonstrates Japan's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Indonesia and translating the strategic partnerships that the two countries have established," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated during an online media briefing on the sidelines of her working visit in Geneva, last Friday.
Marsudi further noted that PM Suga's visit also reflects the spirit of cooperation that countries worldwide have striven to persistently foster, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
