REGIONAL peace and stability requires the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia to continue building trust with each other.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, as he is affectionately known said this in the Asean-Australia Summit virtually on Wednesday, according to the Antara news agency.
Speaking from the Bogor Presidential Palace, he said, Asean has confidence in the power of cooperation and dialogue in resolving differences.
This has allowed the bloc to exist for more than 50 years and contribute to stability, peace, and prosperity in the region.
"With the power, I believe that there will be no regional peace and stability without Asean," he said.
However, Indonesia does not want the region to become an arena for arms race and power projection, which can threaten stability, he said adding that high dynamics can threaten regional stability.
Indonesia wants all parties to keep respecting the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, international law, and regional values, he said.
"We must be able to turn a culture of conflict into a culture of peace, and trust deficit into strategic trust," Jokowi stressed.
He noted Indonesia is worried about AUKUS, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the planned development of Australia's nuclear-powered submarines under the pact, which may heighten rivalry in the region.
Indonesia expects Australia to continue its openness to Asean and become a partner in creating stability, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, he said.
"In conclusion, Indonesia fully supports the status of the Asean-Australia relationship into a comprehensive strategic partnership," he said.