Indonesia – Meeting between M. Jean-Yves Le Drian and his counterpart, Ms Retno Marsudi (20 Feb. 2022)
M. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had a meeting in Paris yesterday with Ms Retno Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
The two ministers welcomed our strongly dynamic bilateral relationship and recalled that the Franco-Indonesian strategic partnership is based on ties of trust and a shared vision of the challenges in the Indo-Pacific area, as a free and open space which is based on effective multilateralism and respect for the rule of law and which does not favour confrontational approaches. The two ministers emphasized the many points of convergence between France’s strategy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indopacific.
The ministers welcomed the deepening of the bilateral strategic partnership, with the acquisition of 42 Rafale fighters by the Indonesian armed forces and the cooperation embarked on in the submarines field. This closeness between two Indo-Pacific nations is reflected in the desire to strengthen cooperation in this area, within the framework of our strategic partnership, in the fields of defence, maritime affairs, the ecological transition and health. Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed France’s support for Indonesia’s bid to host a vaccine production centre in Indonesia as part of the procedure launched by the World Health Organization.
The two ministers also expressed their deep concern about the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian, security and human rights situation in Burma/Myanmar, as well as the escalation of violence caused by the Burmese military. They reiterated their calls for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and an end to the use of force and the state of emergency. They reiterated their support for the ASEAN Special Envoy and his mission to engage in political dialogue with all parties in Burma, with a view to the swift and complete implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. They again called on the military authorities to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all vulnerable people.