Jokowi seeks strengthening of ASEAN-GCC economic cooperation
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) discussed efforts to strengthen economic cooperation at the 1st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC).
“ASEAN and the GCC are two great powers that will continue to grow,” he said at the summit, which was broadcast online from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.
With the gross domestic product (GDP) of both regions reaching more than US$5 trillion and their total population exceeding 700 million, ASEAN and the GCC have large resources to play a strategic and positive role amid a polarized world, he observed.
“We need to maximize economic potential through balanced and open investment and trade with the ASEAN-GCC trade framework and through industrial development, halal certification, and halal tourism development,” the President said.
Furthermore, he called for the strengthening of mutually beneficial partnerships between ASEAN and GCC members to support food and energy security through cooperation in the agriculture and food sectors, alignment of agricultural commodity standards, and energy transition programs.
At the end of his speech, he raised the issue of the protection of migrant workers.
“Amid the increasingly uncertain global situation, I underline ASEAN’s commitment to improving protection for migrant workers, and I ask for the support of GCC countries,” he said.
He also lauded the accession of all GCC members to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) as a commitment of Gulf countries to support peace in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, representatives of ASEAN nations, and GCC countries consisting of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, attended the 1st ASEAN-GCC Summit.
Earlier on Thursday, President Widodo held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud in Riyadh to discuss cooperation and relations between the two countries.
