Delhi Dialogue XII: Strategic trust key aspect in building bridges in Indo-Pacific, says Indonesian FM

While addressing the gathering at the Delhi Dialogue XII, the Minister praised the theme of the dialogue 'Building bridges in the Indo Pacific' and said, "We need to build bridges in all regions including in the Indo-Pacific. Building bridges means narrowing gaps, overcoming differences, connecting countries and improving relations."

"However, we won't be able to build bridges if there is no trust among each other. We will not be able to build bridges if the trust deficit persists. Therefore one thing we need before we build bridges is to nurture strategic trust to manage the strategic competition," she said.

During her speech, the Minister gave an analogy of COVID vaccines in a positive tenor and said that, unlike the COVID vaccine, there is no shortage of strategic trust but there is some hesitancy in taking this "strategic trust vaccine".

Furthermore, speaking on the maritime cooperation between India and ASEAN, the Indonesian foreign minister said the cooperation should be the future that unites India and ASEAN and not the one which divides.

The speech by the minister focused on the importance of strategic trust among the countries. She said that with the help of strong political commitment we will be able to build bridges.

Recalling her address in Prague with European countries on further cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, the minister said that while she was there she highlighted to look at Indo-pacific through an opportunity lens and not only through a lens of challenges.

She said, "Indeed the Indo-Pacific is full of untapped potential and to unlock this potential we need the right paradigm. The paradigm of collaboration as we deal with global issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, food crises and finances."

She also noted that the war in Ukraine brings to life a deep trust deficit among countries. "Trust deficit is like a virus. Before we know it trust deficit could be turned into an open conflict. We need to prevent that virus from spreading extensively in the Indo-pacific. What happened in Ukraine is a wake-up call for all including India and ASEAN. ASEAN has worked hard to keep peace and stability in the region," she added.

The Minister further emphasized that the regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific should be inclusive. "We open our doors to countries that subscribe to the same principles. We need to focus on concrete cooperation," she said.

The ministerial session of DD-XII is being attended by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and the ASEAN Ministers in New Delhi. (ANI)