Jokowi, Trudeau to hold bilateral meeting during ASEAN Summit

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will hold a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 6, on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit.

“There will be a meeting between Mr. President (and PM Trudeau) at 6 p.m. local time here (Presidential Palace),” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi informed after attending the opening of the 2023 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) here on Friday.

PM Trudeau is one of the heads of state/government that President Widodo will meet bilaterally, in addition to the leaders of Japan, South Korea, China, and Australia.

Indonesia will hold the 43rd ASEAN Summit from September 5 to 7 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, with the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.” The dialogues at the summit will focus on economic cooperation.

So far, Marsudi said, Indonesia has received 13 requests for bilateral meetings with President Widodo during the summit.

He is scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the leadership of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

At least 22 countries consisting of 11 ASEAN countries, Timor Leste, which will attend the summit as an observer, and nine dialogue partner countries, will take part in the upcoming edition of the summit.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have confirmed their attendance at the event, Marsudi informed.

Russia, which is one of ASEAN’s dialogue partners, will send Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the summit.

Through the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” Indonesia wants to ensure ASEAN remains relevant in facing the global challenges ahead and promote regional stability and peace by strengthening concrete cooperation.