Turkish FM Aims To Strengthen Asian Partnerships During ASEAN Meeting in Laos

Turkiye launched the Asia Anew Initiative in 2019 to improve ties with countries in different areas of the continent. Its partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is part of that effort. But lately, both parties have voiced interest in having a more inclusive and structured dialogue and cooperation. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently visited Laos for two different ASEAN meetings. While both sides hope to enhance trade and defence cooperation, Fidan said it was also the right time to diversify the collaboration and extend its scope. Since Turkiye became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 2017, its trade volume with its ten members almost doubled compared to 2010. And today, that figure is more than 14 billion dollars. When it comes to Turkiye-ASEAN ties, member state Indonesia s president-elect Prabowo Subianto also made a two-day visit to Ankara in late July. He had a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and they touched on a wide range of issues, including cooperation, especially in the defence sector. Guest: Achmad Rizal Purnama Indonesian Ambassador to Türkiye