The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Indonesia on the occasion of the inaugural Senior Officials' Foreign Policy and Defense Dialogue.
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The United States and Indonesia held the first-ever Senior Officials' Foreign Policy and Defense Dialogue today at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr. Ely Ratner led the U.S. delegation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General for the American and European Affairs Ambassador Umar Hadi and Ministry of Defense's Director General for Defense Strategy Major General Bambang Trisnohadi led the Indonesian delegation.
The two sides reaffirmed their leaders' intent to elevate the U.S.-Indonesia relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to further deepen cooperation across a range of sectors. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink welcomed the opportunity to advance shared priorities during the upcoming visit of President Joko Widodo to Washington, D.C. in November. The two sides also looked forward to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024 and committed to strengthening the connections between our people.
The United States recognized Indonesia's leadership as 2023 Chair of ASEAN and reaffirmed its appreciation for Indonesia's role as country coordinator for U.S.-ASEAN dialogue relations. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink and Assistant Secretary Ratner underscored the United States' continued support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Officials from both countries emphasized ASEAN's role in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The United States expressed appreciation for Indonesia's leadership in building trust toward an inclusive, peaceful, and democratic resolution to the crisis in Burma. The two sides urged the military regime to take concrete action to immediately halt violence and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Officials from both countries also reiterated the importance of making progress on ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus. Both countries committed to supporting incoming 2024 ASEAN Chair Laos in engaging all relevant stakeholders in Burma towards an inclusive, peaceful, and democratic resolution. They highlighted cooperation with ASEAN as central to achieving prosperity and security, both regionally and globally.
The two sides exchanged views on a range of global and regional security issues, including developments in the Middle East and the South China Sea. Assistant Secretary of Defense Ratner congratulated Director General Trisnohadi on the successful completion of the 2023 Exercise SUPER GARUDA SHIELD, which has grown into one of the largest multilateral military exercises in the region, incorporating the United States, Indonesia, five partner countries, and 11 observer countries. As Indonesia's largest military engagement partner, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the modernization of Indonesia's defense forces. Both officials welcomed the intention to elevate the status of the United States – Indonesia defense cooperation. Officials from both countries explored ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of maritime security, military medicine, peacekeeping, defense POW/MIA remains recovery from World War II, professional military education - including on human rights protections and security governance standards - and bilateral and multilateral military exercises.
The two sides reflected on the importance of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and welcomed efforts to substantially conclude IPEF negotiations on the Clean Economy Pillar and the Fair Economy Pillar during the November APEC Economic Leaders' Week. They further shared views on the importance of secure supply chains, critical and green infrastructure, and regional economic security, as well as the threat posed by the climate crisis and the need to accelerate the clean energy transition. To address these challenges and reduce emissions, officials from both countries discussed next steps to realize new cooperation initiatives related to, critical minerals, cyber and maritime security, semiconductors, the innovative Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and small modular reactors.
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