US, Indonesia tout 'growing importance' of strategic partnership

WASHINGTON

The top diplomats from the US and Indonesia on Tuesday emphasized the "growing importance" for the Indo-Pacific of their bilateral strategic partnership.

The comments from the State Department came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi for their first strategic dialogue session since the nations established a strategic partnership in 2015.

"The U.S.-Indonesia strategic partnership is based on a fundamental belief in democracy, economic growth driven by innovation, and a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

During their conversation, Blinken and Marsudi discussed efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the US's recent donation of 3.5 million vaccine doses to Indonesia, and they "further expressed shared views on maritime security and the peaceful resolution of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East," said Price.

"The Secretary praised Indonesia’s leadership in ASEAN and stressed the importance of resolving the crisis in Burma and restoring it to the path to democracy," he said, using an alternate name for Myanmar.

"The leaders committed to working together in the fight against the global pandemic, fighting the climate crisis, boosting bilateral trade and economic ties, defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and continuing collaboration in cybersecurity and preventing cybercrime," he added.