Indonesia, EU share common values to cooperate

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) share a number of values that warrant the necessity of cooperation between the two parties, an international issues expert said on Tuesday.

Rizal Sukma, the Executive Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an Indonesian prominent non-governmental organization, said that the imperative to cooperate between Indonesia and the EU is far greater among nations with shared values.

"Indonesia and the EU could work together based on shared values to strengthen multilateral and regional engagement for a safer world," said Rizal in his presentation before seminar participants titled 'Indonesia and the European Union: Expanding Roles in a Globalized World'.

"Besides, Indonesia wants to place democracy as a strategic agenda in Asia and hopes to see democracy flourished and becomes the norms rather than exception in the region, while the EU has been engaged in various democracy building initiatives around the globe, including in the Southeast Asia," said Rizal.

Indonesia, Rizal added, has a keen interest in promoting regional integration, both within the Southeast Asia and in the wider East Asia region while the EU, which has been a source of inspiration for the Southeast Asia countries for regional cooperation, is supportive and engaged in the process.

Rizal also said that both parties have four common agenda that needs cooperation between them, including a democracy-promotion agenda for Indonesia-EU partnership, among others.

Source: Xinhua