ASEAN Chair 2023 should be maximally taken advantage of to increase Indonesia's role and leadership in ASEAN and raise the awareness of the younger generation about ASEAN.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Center for ASEAN Studies at the LSPR Institute of Communication and Business called the Center for ASEAN Public Relations Studies (CAPRS) together with the ASEAN Public Relations Network (APRN) held the 15th ASEAN Talks to discuss Indonesia's agenda as ASEAN Chair 2023.

Indonesia received the transfer of ASEAN chairmanship from Cambodia and became the ASEAN Chair 2023, which carries the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.

The handover of the chairmanship was carried out at the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and other related summits in Phnom Penh on November 13, 2022. Previously Indonesia served as ASEAN chairman in 1976, 1996, 2003 and 2011.

The Dean of the LSPR Business Faculty, Yuliana R Prasetyawati who is also the head of the LSPR Center for the Study of ASEAN Community Relations (CAPRS) said that Indonesia's momentum as ASEAN Chair 2023 needs to be utilized optimally by universities to realize an increase in Indonesia's role and leadership in ASEAN and raise awareness of the next generation young will be ASEAN.

Therefore, the purpose of holding the 15th ASEAN Talks is to disseminate information and discuss Indonesia's agenda as chairman of ASEAN 2023 to the younger generation.

Meanwhile, Dr. (H.C.) Prita Kemal Gani, Founder & CEO of the LSPR Institute of Communication & Business, said, in supporting Indonesia as the chair of ASEAN 2023, public relations play a major role in disseminating various information to build understanding as well as strengthen friendship and narrow gaps among ASEAN members.

Indonesia has also become the center of public relations in ASEAN because the secretariat of all public relations associations in ASEAN is located at the LSPR Institute.

Furthermore, Prita advised that the LSPR students who attended the 15th ASEAN Talks become a young generation who are proud to be part of the ASEAN Community.

Indonesian Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Derry Amman, who was present as the main speaker at the 15th ASEAN Talks, stated that Indonesia has succeeded and successfully held the G20 Presidency event in Bali in 2022 and now the country is increasingly asserting its strategic position and role in the international arena because it is trusted again to carry out the ASEAN Chairmanship 2023.

Derry also emphasized that during its time as chairman of ASEAN, Indonesia has always generated momentum for ASEAN so that this largest archipelagic country in the world is often seen as a natural leader of ASEAN.

The theme raised in Indonesia's leadership as the chair of ASEAN is ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth. ASEAN Matters ensures the unity and centrality of ASEAN.

Indonesia seeks to strengthen ASEAN's position as a region that is stable, peaceful and adaptive to all changes that occur internally and externally and is relevant internally for the people, and externally for the Indo-Pacific region.

The country also strives to consistently uphold international law, strengthen cooperation and not become a proxy for any power, so that ASEAN is able to become a strong and inclusive region besides having sustainable economic growth.

The main thing of ASEAN Matters is the strength to respond to challenges in the future, strengthening the ASEAN Unity and enhancing the ASEAN Centrality in the Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific regions.

The main thing of the Epicentrum of Growth concerns food security, energy security, efforts to strengthen ASEAN's health architecture in the post-pandemic period and maintain the financial stability.

Foster Gultom, former Indonesian ambassador to Kazakhstan and senior diplomat who was the second guest speaker at the event also stressed that the theme of the ASEAN Chair continues the priorities and results of Indonesia's leadership in the G20, namely food security, energy security, health architecture and financial stability.

According to Foster Gultom, if supported by public relations, Indonesia's position as chairman of ASEAN would be very successful.

Foster also said that ASEAN is building an identity, based on the ASEAN motto, namely One Vision, One Identity, One Community.

He further emphasized that strengthening ASEAN identity requires collaboration on various programs from this Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the business, education, banking, youth and digital economy sectors.

The Center for ASEAN Studies at the LSPR Institute of Communication & Business, which is called the Center for ASEAN Public Relations Studies (CAPRS), which was founded on October 13, 2014, is a center for studies that has produced various researches, programs and publications.

Those researches, programs and publications are in line with the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely politics and security, economy and socio-culture, which are mainly implemented in the Indonesian science and the country’s policy, and are used to sharpen the nation's competitive edge.

Specifically, CAPRS as the founder of the ASEAN Study Center runs in line with the Tri Dharma (three obligations of universities), namely conducting research and scientific studies on relations and cooperation in the ASEAN region; carry out community service in the form of outreach and dissemination of information about ASEAN through counseling, lectures, dialogues in order to increase knowledge and awareness of all the Indonesian people through ASEAN.

LSPR CAPRS organizes ASEAN Talks events periodically and raises  ASEAN’s current themes. LSPR CAPRS also has cooperation and good relations with the China Mission to ASEAN to increase the knowledge and education of lecturers, staff and students through various seminars, workshops and master's scholarship programs in China.

Reporting by Indonesia Window