EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will pay a four-day visit to Indonesia starting Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and usher in a new EU diplomatic mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European External Action Service said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2021) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will pay a four-day visit to Indonesia starting Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and usher in a new EU diplomatic mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European External Action Service said.
"From Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 June, ... Josep Borrell will visit Indonesia. He will hold discussions with the Indonesian government and will have meetings at the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," the EEAS said.
The Indonesian government officials Borrell is going to meet with include President Joko Widodo, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, as well as senior members of parliament.
The talks will cover bilateral EU-Indonesian relations, COVID-19 and economic recovery, as well as security issues "both in South-East Asia and beyond," as stated in the press release. The ongoing post-coup political crisis in Myanmar is also expected to be addressed.
The visit by Borrell represents the European Union's pursuit of rapprochement ahead of Indonesia's upcoming chairmanships in G20 and ASEAN, the EEAS said. The visit will also build on the newly-shaped EU strategy on Indo-Pacific cooperation and the upgrade of EU-ASEAN cooperation to the level of "strategic partnership," which took place last December.
"During his visit, the High Representative will inaugurate the new premises of the EU Delegation to Indonesia and, following the enhancement of EU-ASEAN relations to a strategic partnership, oversee the official upgrade of the EU Mission to ASEAN to a fully-fledged EU Delegation," the press release read.
At ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta, Borrell will meet with the organization's secretary-general, Lim Jock Hoi, and the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives. The EU foreign policy chief is scheduled to visit the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance after the talks and give a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies about the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific on June 3.
The European Council adopted conclusions on an EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific on April 19, declaring its intention to reinforce its presence in the region, including with regard to maritime security and trade.
