Annual Press Statement by H.E. Dr. R. M. Marty M.
Natalegawa Minister for Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Jakarta, 4 January 2012 Excellency Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia 1978 – 1988, Excellency Dr. Alwi
Shihab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia 1999 – 2001 Excellency Dr. N.
Hassan Wirajuda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia 2001 – 2009 Honorable Mr. Mahfudz Shiddiq, Chairman of Commission
I of the House of Representative of the
Republic of Indonesia, Excellencies Ambassadors, Distinguished Members
of the Press, Distinguished Guests, and Distinguished Colleagues from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assalammu’alaikum
Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. A very good morning to all of you. Praise be to Allah Almighty, for by His Grace we
are bestowed with good health so that we can continue to serve our beloved
country. On this auspicious occasion, on behalf of all
officials and staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indonesia’s
Representative Offices abroad, and on my own behalf, allow me to extend to all
of you our best wishes for a Happy New Year 2012. I am sure we are all determined that in the year
2012, we will work even harder so that we will be of greater service to our
beloved nation. Distinguished Guests, As we bid farewell to the year 2011 and embark
on a new year, allow me to extend our deep appreciation for all the support and
attention that have been accorded to Indonesian diplomacy and foreign policy. All the outcomes and accomplishments of
Indonesian diplomacy and foreign policy in 2011 are undoubtedly due to the
support and involvement of all stakeholders. Distinguished Guests, Throughout 2011, we witnessed how international
conditions became more complex and full of uncertainties. Multidimensional challenges, be they in the
field of politics, security, or economy, became the defining character of the
international situation in 2011. Traditional and non-traditional challenges,
interlinked and trans-boundary in nature. We can even say that there is not a single
problem, not a single challenge that we are facing at the present time that
does not have a foreign policy dimension. This is mainly due to two realities. First, the
challenges have impacts that are complex and trans-boundary. Second, no country can solve those challenges
and situations on its own. International cooperation therefore is a must. Distinguished Guests, At the same time, throughout 2011, we also
witnessed swift and dynamic changes along with the uncertainties of the global
condition. The uncertainties of the global economic as well
as political and security conditions. In fact, the only certainty in 2011 was
uncertainty itself. Distinguished Guests, This, as a general overview, was the global and
regional environment in which Indonesian diplomacy was carried out through all
of 2011. Responding to such an environment, diplomacy did
contribute. Not only to overcoming the challenges but also
to creating opportunities. Responding to such environment, Indonesia
consistently aimed at “managing change”
and also at “promoting change”. Indeed, these are two things that Indonesia
endeavored throughout 2011. And to these, not only was Indonesian diplomacy
responsive, it was also anticipatory. Indonesia always projected its leadership in
addressing the myriad issues in the region and in the world at large. The foreign policy undertaken in 2011 was always
anchored to the national interest, and inspired by the principles of
partnership and equality. Indonesia always strived for solutions by
bridging differences in order to arrive at mutual understanding and consensus
in addressing common challenges. Our foreign policy has been undertaken on the
basis of a principled approach, one that is visionary and yet pragmatic and
anticipatory in responding to global and regional developments. All effort has been aimed at managing changes
and their accompanying dynamics, while at the same time we have constantly
promoted progress. In line with the principle of an independent and
active foreign policy, Indonesia has always taken an independent posture in
foreign affairs, both in its perspective and actions. All effort was undertaken to secure Indonesia’s
national interests. National interest as enshrined in the Preamble
of the 1945 Constitution; to protect all the people and the country of
Indonesia; to improve public welfare; to educate the people; and to help create
a world order that is based on freedom, durable peace, and social justice. Distinguished Guests, As we commence our foreign policy in 2012, we
anticipate that the intensity of global and regional challenges facing us is
not diminishing but is instead increasing. Uncertainty is also expected to persist at the
global and regional levels. And in the midst of the increasingly complex
global and regional conditions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed
and determined to continue, build upon, and enhance what we have accomplished
in the previous year. Indonesian diplomacy will continue to aim at
managing change and promoting change in order to create an environment
conducive to the achievement of common security, common stability and common
prosperity. Indonesia will persevere in waging peace and
working for prosperity. And indeed, developments in our foreign policy
in 2011 attest to such a commitment. In 2012, this will continue to be the platform for
Indonesian diplomacy and foreign policy. Distinguished Guests, Throughout 2011, Indonesia accorded particular
attention to enhancing its relations with other countries. We continue deepening and expanding our
bilateral cooperation with countries on the basis of the principles of
partnership, equality, and mutual benefit. Throughout 2011, we intensified cooperation in
priority areas with countries that have strategic or comprehensive partnerships
with us. We also identified countries that have the potential to be Indonesia’s
strategic partners. In line with the guidance and directions from
the President, in 2011 we identified 3-5 priority areas and targets for
economic cooperation for each country with which we have strategic and comprehensive
partnership. These priority areas and targets will serve as
benchmarks in measuring the effectiveness of our diplomatic machinery and
foreign policy. Additionally, throughout 2011, a wide range of
efforts were undertaken to strengthen the mechanism for bilateral cooperation
with other countries. Such effort was undertaken by revitalizing our
bilateral mechanisms with a number of countries, while fine-tuning bilateral
mechanisms that were already functioning well. Joint Commission Meetings at the Ministerial
Level with the Philippines, Myanmar, and Lao PDR, which were dormant since
2007, were all revitalized. We did the same with the Joint Commission
Meeting at the Ministerial level with Brunei Darussalam, which was revitalized
last year after its last meeting in 2003. Also, in a systematic way, mechanisms that had
been revitalized in past years were further strengthened in 2011, such as those
with Timor-Leste, New Zealand, Malaysia, the United States and Japan. Efforts to further intensify bilateral relations
throughout 2011 were also reflected in the intensity of bilateral meetings,
both at the Heads of State and Government level and at Foreign Minister level. In order to build a legal framework for
intensifying cooperation with other countries, throughout 2011, the Government
of the Republic of Indonesia signed 146 international agreements, 131 of which
are bilateral agreements. Furthermore, Indonesia also ratified 26
agreements. Close to 90 percent of these agreements are bilateral agreements,
and more than 60 percent are in the economic sector. Looking ahead, all relevant stakeholders will
certainly have to work hard to implement these various agreements. Economic diplomacy is integral to Indonesia’s
bilateral diplomacy. Efforts to enhance economic, trade and investment
relations with other countries are one of the priorities of Indonesian
diplomacy, in order to support national development and economic growth and to enhance
the welfare of our people. To ensure increased trade volume and enhanced
quality of Indonesia’s trade with other countries, especially with strategic
partners, trade targets have been established, which then will serve as
benchmarks for measuring how economic diplomacy performs. Indonesia’s Representative Offices abroad serve
as the backbone of Indonesia’s economic diplomacy, to deepen and expand
Indonesia’s traditional markets. And at the same time, to further identify and
develop non-traditional markets. Such efforts have become even more important in
the face of current uncertainties in the global economic situation. A wide range of economic diplomacy efforts have
been conducted by Indonesia’s Representative Offices in every corner of the
world, from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe; from New Zealand to China. The holding of Indonesian trade exhibitions
abroad, facilitating visits of foreign business people to Indonesia, and
promoting the establishment of business forums to connect Indonesia’s business
people with their foreign counterparts, are among the major initiatives of our
economic diplomacy. And we have all witnessed and harvested the outcomes.
Throughout 2011, for instance, Indonesia’s bilateral trade volumes with almost
all countries increased compared to those in the year 2010. For example, trade volumes with 13 countries
with which we have strategic partnership have enjoyed sharp increases, above 50
percent on average. Distinguished Guests, In line with our commitment to establish
diplomatic relations with all member States of the United Nations, throughout
2011, Indonesia officially opened diplomatic relations with nine countries,
namely Mauritania, El Salvador, San Marino, Montenegro, the Dominican Republic,
Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Antigua and Barbuda, and Bhutan. These nine countries were among the remaining 21
friendly countries with which Indonesia had not had official diplomatic
relations. With the eventual official establishment of diplomatic relations
with the rest of these countries, Indonesia will be enjoying diplomatic relations
with practically all 193 member States of the United Nations. At the same time, five countries opened new
representative offices in Jakarta, namely the Embassies of Fiji, Colombia,
Belarus and Paraguay in Jakarta, and the Consulate General of the People’s
Republic of China in Medan. In 2011, 16 countries opened their
representative offices to ASEAN in Jakarta. As of the end of 2011, there were
61 countries that had designated their Permanent Representatives to ASEAN. In
2012, some countries are planning to open their representative offices in
Jakarta, including Vanuatu and Georgia. This will further strengthen the position of
Indonesia, and particularly Jakarta as one of the diplomatic capitals of East
Asia. Distinguished Guests, In the year 2012, Indonesia will continue to
accord great attention to bilateral diplomacy. We will continue to enhance cooperation with
strategic partnership countries to optimize mutually beneficial opportunities,
including to monitor the progress in implementation of designated priority
areas. We will continue strengthening existing
bilateral mechanisms and making them more comprehensive with the involvement of
the private sector and other stakeholders. The designated targets of trade volume will
serve as for each Representative Office to fulfill. It is the obligation of Indonesian
Representative Offices abroad to expand Indonesia’s export market in order to
achieve the targeted export value for 2012: US$ 230 billion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also
instructed all Indonesia’s Representative Offices to actively pursue foreign
investments that will be beneficial to Indonesia’s economy in accordance with
the Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Development
(MP3EI). Indonesia’s Representative Offices abroad must
also contribute to the attainment of the target of bringing in 8 million
foreign tourists to Indonesia in 2012. All those benchmarks are clear measurements and
will become targets for each Indonesian mission abroad. To further improve Indonesia’s bilateral
diplomacy, in line with the President’s instruction, in the early part of 2012,
a coordinating meeting of all Indonesian Heads of Missions to assess systematic
efforts in strengthening our bilateral relations with all countries will be
convened in Jakarta. Distinguished Guests, Regional diplomacy is an important pillar of
Indonesia’s diplomacy. Bilateral diplomacy and regional diplomacy can
complement and reinforce each other. Both are closely intertwined. In building regional cooperation, Indonesia’s
diplomacy always emphasizes the development of a regional architecture that
allows cooperation to address mutual security challenges, both traditional and
non-traditional. Our common challenges or threats in the region are not a particular
country, but such common issues as poverty alleviation, environment
preservation, disaster management, and combating transnational crimes. Indonesia has consistently pursued the creation
of a “dynamic equilibrium” in the region, based on an approach that underscores
the principles of attaining common stability, common security and common
prosperity for all countries in the region. This is undoubtedly aimed at establishing a
peaceful, safe and stable region that allows countries in the region, including
Indonesia, to carry out economic development and improve the welfare of the
people. Distinguished Guests, Indonesia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2011
provided us with an opportunity to contribute positively to the development of
the evolving regional architecture. As in the previous years when Indonesia chaired
ASEAN, throughout 2011, Indonesia consistently exercised leadership, which was
not limited to performing its duties as a Chair. Being the Chair of ASEAN is a matter of annual
rotation; but leadership in ASEAN entails generating positive contribution to
the development of the ASEAN Community, a process that does not end with the
conclusion of the Chairmanship period but continues to move forward. This was what Indonesia demonstrated during its
ASEAN Chairmanship in 2011. Indonesia has certainly made a difference. Indonesia strived to change the previous
conditions and situations to make progress. Since Indonesia was mandated to be ASEAN Chair
in 2011, based on the theme of “ASEAN Community
in a global community of nations”, Indonesia identified three priorities of
its Chairmanship, which were subsequently adopted as ASEAN priorities in 2011;
namely: ·
ensuring significant
progress in the attainment of the ASEAN Community; ·
establishing a regional
condition conducive to development; ·
initiating a post-2015
ASEAN vision; namely: a bigger role for ASEAN in addressing global challenges
through having an ASEAN stand on various global issues. Those three priorities became references for all
ASEAN endeavors, especially by Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN. During Indonesia’s Chairmanship, we witnessed
how the Southeast Asian region became more secure, peaceful, stable and
prosperous. During the past year, for instance in the
political and security field, Indonesia significantly strengthened ASEAN’s
capacity to manage conflicts or disputes amongst its members. For the first time in ASEAN history, conflict
management between its members directly involved ASEAN. Previously, ASEAN’s capacity to manage potential
conflict between its members was questioned. During Indonesia’s Chairmanship,
however, not only did ASEAN show its capacity to manage conflict, it also
gained international recognition for this capacity, including by the UN
Security Council and the International Court of Justice. During Indonesia’s Chairmanship in 2011, efforts
to uphold the values of democracy, human rights and good governance resulted in
significant progress. Significant progress in democratization in
Myanmar in 2011 compared to previous years is indisputable. Indonesia continuously contributed to the
condition conducive to continued political and democratic transformation in
Myanmar, including to ensure that Myanmar’s bid to become ASEAN Chair in 2014
served as a positive momentum that the democratization process in Myanmar would
not stall, let alone be reversed. Another important progress was the conclusion of
negotiations between ASEAN member countries and the Nuclear Weapon States with
regard to the latter’s accession to the Protocol of the Southeast Asia Nuclear
Weapon-Free Zone Treaty. A significant progress was made in 2011, after
the lack of progress in the previous 10 years of negotiation. This agreement means that more than 600 million
people in the Southeast Asian region are free from the use of and the threat of
using nuclear weapons. As ASEAN Chair, Indonesia took concrete measures
to create a regional environment that is conducive, stable, secure and
peaceful. Indonesia has shown its capability to manage
potential conflict in the South China Sea by working hard to ensure the
conclusion of an agreement between ASEAN and China on the Guidelines for the
implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China
Sea. As you may recall, negotiations on the
aforementioned Guidelines had been ongoing since 2005.With Indonesia’s
encouragement and leadership, it was finally concluded in 2011. After the conclusion of negotiations on the
Guidelines, upon Indonesia’s initiative, a round of negotiations on the Code of
Conduct, which would be more binding than the said Declaration, has been
initiated. Not only has such effort shown real progress, it
also signified the commitment to resort to cooperation and dialogue in managing
and resolving issues in the South China Sea. Indonesia has also successfully reaffirmed the
relevance of the ASEAN Regional Forum as a platform for discussion of security
issues in Southeast Asia and East Asia. On the margins of the ARF Ministerial Meeting in
2011 in Bali, for instance, Indonesia created conditions which made possible a
meeting between North Korean and South Korean delegations, which was followed
by the interactions between the two Foreign Ministers. Also under the Chairmanship of Indonesia,
efforts to give more meaning to and concrete forms of ASEAN centrality in the
regional architecture were carried out. In conjunction with the admission of
the Russian Federation and the United States of America to the East Asia Summit
in Bali, Indonesia put forward basic principles that guide relations and
interactions among key countries in East Asia. At the East Asia Summit in Bali, the
participating countries agreed to adopt a declaration that consists of 12 basic
principles, known as the Bali Principles, which govern peaceful interactions
among key countries in East Asia. The Bali Principles are intended for the
maintenance of friendly relations among countries, which are also stipulated,
for example, in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia. With the adoption of the Bali Principles, the 18
EAS participants committed themselves to refrain from the use of force or the
threat of using force in solving problems among themselves. In the economic and development field,
Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN coincides with the crippling of the global
economy in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. The situation was also exacerbated by the crisis
in the Eurozone, which caused the economic fundamentals of several countries in
the European region to collapse. During Indonesia’s Chairmanship in ASEAN,
several measures were taken to ensure at least two things: First, to ensure that the economic crisis in the European region
did not bring contagion to ASEAN and the East Asia region. Second, to ensure that there would be positive economic growth in
the region so that it could contribute to overall global economic growth. Throughout 2011, various initiatives were taken
by Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN. We witnessed the signing of the ASEAN Plus Three
Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) by the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture. This to ensure the existence of an established
regional mechanism for guaranteeing sustainable food supplies in the region.
Obviously, this will play an important role in ensuring regional food security. To encourage ASEAN to become the center of
growth in Asia and the world, ASEAN countries actively forged cooperation with
their Dialogue Partners as well as other international organizations in
improving the connectivity of the region. Through the implementation of the Master Plan on
ASEAN Connectivity, the flow of trade and capital in the region is expected to
increase, which would support ASEAN’s bid to become more competitive in the
global economy. During its tenure as ASEAN Chair, Indonesia
encouraged equitable economic growth by endorsing “the ASEAN Framework for Equitable Economic Development”. With this Framework, we expect that a broader
participation of the people that will enhance the benefits we gained through
our cooperation. For the sociocultural pillar of its chairmanship,
Indonesia placed emphasis on a caring society and people-centered ASEAN. Indeed, having an ASEAN community that is more
sensitive to humanitarian issues marked the Chairmanship of Indonesia in 2011,
be that in its relations with member states as well as with ASEAN’s dialogue
partners. Recognizing that ASEAN countries, including
Indonesia, are prone to natural disasters, capacity building of ASEAN member
states in disaster management was given top priority. The ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian
Assistance on disaster management was launched during the chairmanship of
Indonesia. A Joint Concept was also developed by Indonesia
and Australia within the EAS Framework to accelerate the humanitarian
assistance and to enable debottlenecking of responses during the phase of
emergency relief to countries affected by natural disasters. Sympathy and solidarity to other ASEAN states
and other countries who were experiencing occurrences of natural disaster were
also shown during Indonesia’s chairmanship. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami
in Japan, for instance, ASEAN member states mobilized humanitarian assistance
in an effort to alleviate the impact of the natural disaster, among others by
convening a special ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting in response to the calamity. Also in the field of socio-cultural cooperation,
dialogue between the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN with civil society
organizations (CSO) was resumed. During the chairmanship of Indonesia, the CSO
Forum was convened and attended by representatives from all ASEAN member states
and was officially opened by the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. Various agreements in the sociocultural field
aimed at bringing ASEAN closer to the people were also concluded. These include
agreements on youth and sports; women’s and children’s rights; migrant workers;
emerging contagious diseases and the diversity of the identity of ASEAN
peoples. Several activities and programs that involved
various segments of society were also held, including the ASEAN Fair, the ASEAN
anniversary celebration, the ASEAN Culinary Festival, the ASEAN Youth Cultural
Exchange Festival and the launching of ASEAN Bloggers forum. Distinguished Guests, Indonesia has initiated the vision of ASEAN
post-2015, namely a common platform of ASEAN in responding to global issues in
2022. As Chair of ASEAN in 2011, Indonesia is
determined that its contribution goes beyond the period of its chairmanship. Indeed, during the four decades of ASEAN’s journey,
every time Indonesia served as ASEAN Chair, Indonesia always marked its
chairmanship by taking ASEAN to a higher level. For instance, in 1976, ASEAN member states
concluded an ASEAN Concord with regard to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Bali. In 2003, also in Bali, ASEAN Member States
agreed on the ASEAN Concord II to establish the ASEAN Community. And in 2011, the Bali Concord III on the
establishment of the ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations was adopted. In the Bali Concord III declaration, all the
Heads of State/Government of ASEAN committed themselves to enhancing a more
cohesive role of ASEAN in responding to global challenges. One of the documents agreed on with regards to
ASEAN’s role in the global community of nations is the Declaration of the
ASEAN-UN Strategic Partnership. Distinguished Guests, In 2012, Indonesia will ensure the continuation
of the three ASEAN priorities set by Indonesia in 2011 as endorsed by ASEAN
member states. Some major issues which are of great interests
for Indonesia in 2012 are: ·
making progress in the
discussions on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea; ·
managing potential
conflicts in the region; ·
development of democracy
and reconciliation in Myanmar; ·
completion of the accession
to the SEANWFZ Protocol by the Nuclear-Weapon-States; ·
enhancement of maritime
cooperation; ·
implementation of a
regional mechanism for disaster management, food security, energy security and
economic sustainability of the region. ·
ASEAN Connectivity; ·
strengthening of the Bali
Principles; ·
and a Plan of Action of the
Bali Concord III. In addition to cooperation with ASEAN countries
as its immediate concentric circle, as a country that is part of the Pacific
region, Indonesia also aims to deepen its cooperation with countries in the
Pacific region through the South-west Pacific Dialog (SwPD) and the Pacific Islands
Forum (PIF). During 2011, Indonesia carried out various
efforts to strengthen relations with organizations in the Pacific region. An important development in 2011 was the
endorsement of Indonesia’s application for observer status in the Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG) at the 18th MSG Summit. The acceptance of Indonesia as an observer to
the MSG will enable Indonesia to enhance its cooperation and well-established
relations with the member countries of the MSG. Throughout 2011, Indonesia also accorded great
attention to various inter-regional and intraregional cooperation mechanisms,
such as APEC, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the Forum for East Asia-Latin
America Cooperation (FEALAC) where Indonesia serves as coordinator for the
Asian region, as well as the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP). As to the European region, the comprehensive
partnership agreement that Indonesia has has nurtured mutually beneficial and
equitable relationship with the European Union. Indonesia will soon ratify its comprehensive
partnership with the EU, which provides a roadmap for future relations between
the EU and Indonesia. Another priority of Indonesia in regional
cooperation in 2012 is to prepare for Indonesia’s chairmanship of APEC in 2013. In addition to preparing for the
chairmanship-related activities themselves, Indonesia will strive to generate
momentum through substantive preparations and setting up priorities for its APEC
Chairmanship in 2013. Apart from APEC, Indonesia will also prioritize
the strengthening of its role in and contribution to the Pacific Islands Forum
(PIF). It is part of Indonesia’s foreign policy as a Pacific country to enhance
cooperation with countries in the region. Cooperation in the Indian Ocean region is also
amongst of Indonesia’s priorities. As part of Indonesia’s initiatives to foster
maritime cooperation, in 2012 Indonesia will accord more attention to maritime cooperation
in the Indian Ocean. Distinguished Guests, Multilateral diplomacy is an integral part of
Indonesia’s diplomacy and foreign policy. As previously mentioned, current global
challenges and the interlinkages of issues demand international cooperation. Indonesia’s multilateral diplomacy is aimed at
actively participating in the management of global issues, in particular those
affecting our national interests. Throughout 2011, the participation of the
President in a number of forum, namely, WEF Davos, WEF on East Asia in Jakarta,
the G-20 and APEC, highlighted Indonesia’s advocacy of a firm, balanced, and
sustainable global economic growth. Through various regional and international
forum, such as ASEAN, APEC and the G-20, Indonesia has a major stake to ensure
the realization of four targets of economic diplomacy: global economic
stability recovery, acceleration of economic growth, facilitation of trade and investment
inflows, and the achievement of equitable and sustainable economic growth. In the area of international cooperation in
climate change-related forest management, in 2011 Indonesia continued to
optimize the Forest Eleven cooperation, which was initiated by the President of
the Republic of Indonesia in 2007. During the Forest Eleven Ministerial Meeting
that was conducted on the sidelines of the 66th Session of the UN General
Assembly, the 14 tropical forest countries called for the strengthening of
cooperation and effective partnership in sustainable forest management. Indonesia has also forged partnership with the
United Nations through the establishment of the United Nations Office for REDD+
Coordination in Indonesia (UNORCID), which will support the implementation of a
coordinated REDD+ program in Indonesia. Indonesia also reaffirmed its commitment in the
protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers, and in the area of
cultural diversity, through the participation of the President as keynote
speaker in ILO and UNESCO forum. Furthermore, Indonesia hosted the Ministerial
Conference and Commemorative Meeting of the 50th Anniversary of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) in Bali. On that occasion, President Yudhoyono identified a set
of vision of the NAM for the next 50 years, which was endorsed by the NAM
member states. President Yudhoyono called for a new role of
developing countries as net contributors to global security, peace, development, human
rights as well as democracy, and to nurture the spirit of partnership in
tackling global challenges. In this NAM meeting, the issue of Palestine
gained special attention. On the initiative of Indonesia, a roadmap was formulated for the
recognition of Palestine statehood by the member states of the United Nations. This clearly demonstrated Indonesia’s commitment
to and support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of
Palestine. The implementation of multilateral diplomacy in
the past year reaffirmed, among others, Indonesia’s leadership in fostering
progress in various fields through consensus-building, cooperative approach,
bridging differences without compromising national interests, accentuating
convergence of interests in accordance with the spirit of multilateralism, and advocating
the interest of developing nations in general. The role and leadership of Indonesia in various
international fora have provided added value to global efforts at responding to
various challenges and have further enhanced Indonesia’s leverage in bilateral
and regional diplomacy. Distinguished
Delegates, In line with the commitments that were made in
early 2011, for instance in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation,
Indonesia continues to serve as a country which consistently pursued this noble
cause. Indonesia demonstrated its leadership in this
cause by ratifying the CTBT on 6 December 2011, which was warmly welcomed and
appreciated by the international community. This decision has not only earned the
appreciation of the international community for Indonesia’s leadership, it has also strengthened
Indonesia’s credibility in encouraging other Annex II Countries to ratify the
CTBT. Additionally, Indonesia’s commitment to the
maintenance of world peace is evident in its consistent contribution of troops
to UN peacekeeping missions. Indonesia’s commitment to enhancing peacekeeping
contributions in both their qualitative and quantitative aspects was also much
evident with the inauguration of the Indonesian Peacekeeping Center in Sentul
by the President at the end of 2011. Not only will the Peace Keeping Center be the training
ground for Indonesian troops who will serve in the United Nations peacekeeping
missions, it will also serve as the training center and the hub for
peacekeeping troops in the Asia Pacific region. Indonesia continues to enhance its profile in
multilateral diplomacy in the field of human rights. International recognition of Indonesia’s role in
global human rights fora was clearly evident during the vote on Indonesia’s
application for membership in the Human Rights Council for the period 2011-2014. Indonesia obtained the highest number of votes
amongst all candidates, a total of 184 votes. Indonesia also continued to adjust its position
on a number of human rights issues with regard to the situation in specific
countries that obtained special attention at the annual deliberations of the
Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. Indonesia also played a major role in the
establishment of a permanent and independent Human Rights Commission within the
framework of the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC). And Indonesia made significant progress in
strengthening the national framework for the promotion and protection of human
rights, by incorporating international norms and standards to the national
framework. Indonesia ratified the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities through Act No. 19 / 2011. Indonesia also completed the preparatory process
to ratifying other conventions, including the International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,
and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance. Throughout 2011, in regional and global fora,
Indonesia stood faithful to its reputation as the 3rd largest
democracy in the world, where Islam and democracy could flourish together. In various global fora, Indonesia continued to
be recognized as a country in the forefront of the cause of promoting democracy
and democratic values. Indonesia remained consistent with its
principled position in responding to democratic developments and political
transformation in the Middle East and North Africa. At the regional level, Indonesia continued to
encourage democratization in the Asian region, based on the pillars of
inclusivity, homegrown democracy and sharing of lessons-learned and best
practices. Since its inception in 2008, the Bali Democracy
Forum (BDF) has been gaining stronger appreciation from other countries in Asia
as well as other regions. The Forum has also been successful in placing
democracy on the strategic agenda of the Asian region, and has taken numerous cooperation
initiatives that have strengthened democratic institutions in Asia. In the last four years, the BDF became
recognized as part of the democratic architecture in the region. To further reaffirm democracy as a strategic
agenda in the region, in 2012, at the 5th anniversary of the BDF,
the Bali Democracy Forum will be organized at the Summit-level. Indonesia also continued to play a role in
mobilizing regional and global cooperation in enhancing the capacity to carry
out disaster management. With regard to the strengthening of the capacity
to respond to natural disasters, Indonesia
provided positive contribution by involving the military sector through the ARF
Direx and enhancing the “debottlenecking capacity” of international cooperation
in responding to natural disasters. The aforementioned Indonesian and Australian
concept paper with regard to enhancing international cooperation and the
capacity to respond was endorsed and agreed upon in the EAS forum. Indonesia’s experience has become a model for
successful disaster management efforts, at both the policy and operational
levels. Indonesia’s commitment and accomplishments in
this field gained the highest recognition at the international level with the
conferment of the Global Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction Award to
the President of the Republic of Indonesia by the UN Secretary-General on the
sidelines of the ASEAN-UN Summit on 19 November 2011. Furthermore, in 2011, Indonesia extended its
solidarity to other countries that suffered natural disasters. In the months and years ahead, with Indonesia’s
profile greatly enhanced in the international community, the management of
Indonesia’s humanitarian assistance and technical cooperation will be part of a
more systematic soft power diplomacy. In 2012, the agenda of Indonesia’s multilateral
diplomacy will remain extremely important and substantial. In the field of international peace and
security, the Nuclear Security Summit will be convened in Seoul, in March 2012,
to further deliberate upon the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation agenda. Sustainable development and the world’s economic
agenda will be discussed at the Rio+20 Summit and the G-20 Summit in Brazil and
Mexico in June 2012. Indonesia will continue to play an active role
in and provide positive contribution to the Summits’ preparatory process and
the Summits themselves. Also in 2012, Indonesia will continue to push
for the UN reform, including Security Council reform, so that it will more
faithfully reflect the world’s current realities and anticipate future ones.
This is part of Indonesia’s efforts to nurture a more democratic framework for international
relations. Distinguished Guests, One of the priorities of our diplomacy is to
conclude land and maritime boundary negotiations, both in the forms of
delimitation and demarcation. Throughout 2011, Indonesia continued to
intensify efforts to make progress in border negotiations with neighboring
countries. There were at least 38 border negotiations held
last year, of which 16 were maritime negotiations and 22 were land boundary
negotiations. In 2010, there were 23 negotiations. Through Indonesia’s intensive efforts regarding
the Continental Shelf beyond 200-mile nautical miles west of the Sumatran
coast, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)
eventually recommended Indonesia’s calculation proposal, which confirmed the
expansion of Indonesia’s territory on the Continental Shelf beyond 200-mile nautical
miles west of the Sumatran coast to the size of 4209 km2
(approximately the size of Madura island). This is a significant diplomatic achievement. With several neighboring countries, namely,
Malaysia and Singapore, we have also achieved significant progress in our
maritime border negotiations. We will intensify negotiations so that we can
attain the expected outcomes within 2012. Distinguished Guests, The issue of protecting Indonesian citizens
abroad was a major focus of our diplomatic endeavors throughout 2011. Various measures were taken by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and our Representative Offices abroad to ensure the protection of
Indonesian citizens overseas. At present, the issue is not only about
protecting Indonesian migrant workers, but also protect all Indonesian citizens
in such circumstances as political turmoil, natural disasters, and also special
cases like piracy and hostage taking. During 2011, a total of 38,884 Indonesian
citizens who faced various problems while overseas were repatriated. Of this
number, 24,488 returned home through direct facilitation of the Government of
Indonesia. With regard to the plight of Indonesians who
fell into hands of pirates, all of the Indonesian crewmembers that were held
hostage by Somali pirates, a total of 61 persons from eight ships bearing the
flags of several nations, were rescued. At present, there is not a single
Indonesian crewmember in the hands of pirates in Somalia. The Indonesian
Government, through the Indonesian Embassy in Abuja, also worked hard to save
an Indonesian national from hostage taking in Nigeria. In this regard, in line with the instruction by
the President, particular efforts were made to release the MV Sinar Kudus, an
Indonesian ship held hostage in Somali waters. In the Ministry’s records, the mission to rescue MV
Sinar Kudus only took 46 days, one of the swiftest missions accomplished to
release a ship from the clutches of Somali pirates. With regard to efforts to protect Indonesian
citizens who had been meted the death penalty, various diplomatic approaches
were carried out at all levels, including at the level of Heads of State,
directly involving the President, at the level of Foreign Ministers, and at the
level of our missions abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conducted
in-depth analysis of the legal frameworks in the receiving countries with
regard to the protection of Indonesia’s migrants, to assess the availability of
adequate guarantees of protection for them. This analysis will serve as an
input to a comprehensive policy with regard to the sending of Indonesian
migrant workers overseas. Throughout 2011, with specific measures and in
line with the President’s directive, including through the establishment of a
task force, we succeeded in saving 35 Indonesian citizens from execution for
the death penalty. Among all Indonesian nationals facing the death
penalty, more than 65 percent were sentenced for drugs offences and 31 percent
for homicide – the types of criminal offences that face serious consequences in
many countries, including Indonesia itself. In the near future, in addition to enhancing our
efforts to protect Indonesian citizens abroad, including through the
establishment of agreements on migrant workers with the host countries, our
diplomacy will place more emphasis on preventive and early detection measures. The protection of Indonesian citizens and our
solicitude for our citizens abroad is mandated by our Constitution. To provide maximum protection for Indonesian
migrant workers, a comprehensive system taking into account all aspects of
their plight is imperative. Distinguished Guests, As a final thought, we realize that foreign
policy will only be effective if it enjoys a strong sense of ownership and
participation on the part of all stakeholders. Throughout 2011, consultations and cooperation
with all stakeholders, especially the Parliament, were regularly conducted.
Such cooperation has brought about a common understanding on numerous
international issues that touch on Indonesia’s national interests. These
cooperation and consultations will be enhanced in the days to come. The role of the press and mass media is also
significant. In the current era, the media serve as a pillar for foreign
politics and diplomacy. We truly appreciate the cooperation that has been
extended to us all this time. We also convey our congratulations to the members
of media who won the Adam Malik Award this year. We believe that such a good
cooperation can further be improved in the future. Undoubtedly, Indonesian foreign policy and
diplomacy derives from the combined efforts of all elements of the nation. Only through such combined efforts will
Indonesia be able to exercise a greater role and influence in the region. Only through such combined efforts will
Indonesia be able to contribute more in various global fora. And only through such combined efforts could
Indonesian foreign policy and diplomacy be dedicated to the national interest. And to the attainment of Indonesia’s national
development objectives and the welfare of all Indonesians. This concludes my remarks, and I thank you. Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabaraktuh  |