This was expressed in the Jakarta Joint Declaration adopted by the seventeenth meeting of defense ministers, which in turn recognized the effects that traditional and non-traditional threats and challenges to security could cause.

The statement stresses that the security and prosperity of ASEAN could also be affected by geopolitical and geostrategic changes in the region and the impact of competition between major powers. It also emphasizes the importance of complying with the fundamental principles and objectives established in the United Nations and ASEAN Charters, as well as in the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

It also refers to the freedom of navigation and flight in the East Sea and the need to adopt measures to solve disputes based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, among others.

Attendees at the meeting also gave the green light to the project to modify the standard operating procedures of the “ASEAN-Our Eyes” initiative and reviewed a conceptual document on the US-ASEAN Emerging Defense Leaders Program.

At the opening of the forum, the Minister of Defense of Indonesia and president of the meeting, Prabowo Subianto, emphasized that peace and security constitute the basis for economic development and guarantee of social progress in the bloc.

“If a region is not stable and secure, it cannot attract investment, promote trade and guarantee civilized social behavior, which is why the theme “Peace, Prosperity and Security” of this meeting is very appropriate for the current context of complex changes in the world’s situation,” he considered.

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