1. The First Korea-Indonesia Foreign and Defense (2+2) Senior Officials’ Meeting took place virtually on August 24 from 6:00 pm to 8:30pm (KST).

° The delegation of the Republic of Korea was led by Director General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs Jae-kyung Park from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director General for International Policy Sang-jin Kim from the Ministry of National Defense. The delegation of the Republic of Indonesia was led by Director General for Asia Pacific and Africa Abdul Kadir Jailani from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director General of Defense Strategy Rodon Pedrason from the Ministry of Defense. The two sides discussed bilateral relations, cooperation in national defense and security, and regional issues.

° Since the status of Korea-Indonesia relations was upgraded to a special strategic partnership in 2017, there have been active strategic communication between the two countries. The foreign and defense senior officials’ meeting was launched as a follow-up to the Plan of Action for the Implementation of Special Strategic Partnership, which was signed on the occasion of Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong’s visit to Indonesia in June this year.

※ The Plan of Action includes the convening of “A 2+2 Senior Officials Meeting involving officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of the two countries to exchange views and experiences and strengthen mutual trust and understanding.”

2. The two sides appreciated the progress made in strengthening substantive cooperation between Korea and Indonesia across the political and economic spheres, as well as national defense and the defense industry and agreed to increase bilateral consultation on future cooperation.

° The two sides noted that bilateral relations have been further consolidated through joint efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Korean government’s provision of medical supplies to Indonesia and cooperation between Korean and Indonesian companies on vaccine and treatment development. The two sides agreed to strengthen economic cooperation to accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the post-pandemic era.

° The Korean side reiterated that Korea will continue to support ASEAN integration and prosperity through its New Southern Policy. The two sides agreed to continue seeking alignment between the New Southern Policy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

3. For stronger cooperation in national defense and the defense industry, the two sides agreed to work together closely to faithfully address pending issues in defense exchanges and cooperation, which were discussed at the meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries last April.

° The Korean side suggested promptly establishing a joint defense cooperation committee, as laid out in the Agreement between Korea and Indonesia on Cooperation in the Field of Defense, for the systematic development of defense cooperation and stronger strategic communication.

° The two sides noted with appreciation that, after the defense ministers’ meeting in April, Indonesia decided to resume the KF-21/IF-X research development project and re-dispatch Indonesian engineers to Korea and agreed to work together more closely to produce fruitful results.

° Furthermore, the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation on non-traditional security issues such as cyber security, maritime security, and terrorism. The Korean side presented its plans for hosting the Seoul Defense Dialogue in September and the Fourth UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in December, in an effort to strengthen multilateral security cooperation, and asked for the active support and attendance of Indonesia’s high-level officials.

4. The two sides exchanged views on the regional situation and issues such as response to the changes in the dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region; the South China Sea; and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Both sides agreed to continue the coordination efforts for regional peace and stability.

° Regarding the Korean Peninsula, both sides recognized the importance of making substantial progress toward achieving complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. The Korean side asked for Indonesia’s support for inter-Korean dialogue, engagement, and cooperation, and the Indonesian side expressed its support and reaffirmed Indonesia’s willingness to continue contributing to the issue through ASEAN.

° On the situation in Myanmar, the Korean side called for an immediate release of those detained and the restoration of democracy and underlined that the five-point consensus, reached at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in April, should be implemented without delay. The Korean side also welcomed the appointment of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ⅱ of Brunei Darussalam Erywan Yusof as Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, expressed support for ASEAN’s constructive role in resolving the current situation in Myanmar, and appreciated Indonesia’s leadership in mobilizing ASEAN’s action regarding Myanmar.

※ ①the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar ②constructive dialogue among all parties ③mediation to be facilitated by an envoy of ASEAN’s chair ④humanitarian assistance provided ⑤a visit by the special envoy and delegation to Myanmar

5. Through this inaugural meeting held in a foreign and defense 2+2 format between the two countries, Korea and Indonesia laid the foundation for further reinforcing strategic communication as special strategic partners. /End.