Washington, 4 August 2021 (TDI): On Tuesday, the American Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with the Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Both leaders emphasized the growing importance of the US-Indonesia Strategic Partnership and contributions for a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This was the first Strategic Dialogue between the two partners since the establishment of the Strategic partnership in 2015.
They talked about the ongoing COVID pandemic for its recovery, as the US recently announced 3.5 million doses of vaccines to Indonesia which reached eight million, and also the donations related to pandemic assistance have reached more than $65million. The leaders shared views on maritime security and the peaceful settlement of Middle East conflicts. Moreover, the secretary praised Indonesia`s leadership in ASEAN and stressed resolving the crisis of Burma to the path of democracy.
The secretary welcomed Indonesia`s upcoming G20 presidency and praised Indonesia for supporting Afghanistan`s peace process. They talked about the opportunities for Indonesia to raise its climate ambitions.
The leaders committed to working together on the different future challenges for both the countries and the region, such as the Global COVID pandemic, Global Climate Crisis, improving bilateral trade, and economic ties.
More importantly, defending the freedom of Navigation South China Sea and improving cybersecurity.
They ended the meeting by expressing that they await expanding cooperation in South East Asia, United Nations, and worldwide.
