KUALA LUMPUR: President Prabowo Subianto (pic) has voiced support for Papua New Guinea’s bid to join Asean, saying that the move would boost the bloc’s influence and resilience amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Speaking during a closed plenary session of the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (May 26), the President revealed that PNG had expressed interest in becoming a member of the South-East Asian nations grouping, describing the country as a “close neighbour” of Indonesia.
“In the current situation of geopolitical uncertainty, the stronger Asean is, the more we will be heard in the discourse of the great powers,” Prabowo said, as quoted by an official statement. “We know now that only those with strength will be respected,” he continued.
Indonesia shares an 800-kilometre land border with PNG. The border remains an issue for both countries but is periodically reviewed by Jakarta and Port Moresby, which has been a “continuing positive trend”.
Jakarta has sought to nurture its ties with its eastern neighbour due to the cultural proximity of its people to the indigenous Papuans, who are allowed to cross the border with greater ease than other residents.
During Monday’s session, which focused on the future direction of the regional grouping, Prabowo also emphasized the need to bolster Asean’s unity and stability to enhance its global standing. Home to over 680 million people, Asean currently consists of ten member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Timor-Leste, which has observer status, is set to become the bloc’s 11th member at the next regional summit in October. Prabowo welcomed Timor-Leste’s upcoming accession and reaffirmed Indonesia’s full support during his plenary remarks.
“With the increasing membership of Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, I think this will also enhance Asean’s role in the world,” Prabowo said. Leaders of 11 Southeast Asian nations convened in Kuala Lumpur on Monday for a two-day summit.
Aside from Timor-Leste’s accession into the bloc, they set their sights on potential economic fallout from United States President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariff” policy, while also ramping up pressure on Myanmar’s warring factions to engage in peace talks. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
