Jakarta (VNA) – The signing of the Regional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is ASEAN’s most outstandingachievement this year, PermanentRepresentative of Indonesia to ASEAN Ambassador Ade Padmo Sarwono said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s  correspondent inJakarta on November 18.

“RCEP should not be viewed simply as a trade agreement, but as a comprehensiveeconomic cooperation agreement that contribute to regional political securityand stability, and reinforces ASEAN centrality in Southeast Asia and theIndo-Pacific,” he said.

The diplomat noted the trade pact wasoriginally proposed by Indonesia during ASEAN Chairmanshipin 2011. Indonesia was the Chairman of the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC),and after an eight-years long of relentless negotiations, it was finally signedon November 15.

According to therepresentative, the RCEP is the biggest trade agreement in the world with GDP accounting for30.2 percent of of global GDP. It is also the mostextensive free trade agreement to date which covers a great deal of essentialtrading and business issues, such as goods and services, investment, economicand technical cooperation, intellectual property rights, disputes settlement,e-commerce, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

“The negotiation was successfully concluded after a grueling eight-year process and the pact was finally signed in the mostchallenging time made RCEP stands out even more as the most rewardingachievement,” Sarwono said.

He further said that the RCEP is the latestexample of ASEAN’s long-term, staunch commitment to open regionalism andregional integration. Since the 1980s, and even more so following the 1997Asian financial crisis, ASEAN’s response to both regional and globalpolitical and economic turmoil has been to double down and strengthen itsintegration efforts.

“With this agreement, Indonesia hopes it can create a favorable environmentfor economic and trade relations in the Indo-Pacific region as well as forcontributing to economic recovery efforts,” the diplomat said.

He described the results of the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings as“very essential” and “timely,” given that the summit was held in the midst ofCOVID-19 which has significantly affected people’s lives, health andwell-being, and exerted severe pressure on the world and regional economy.

The ambassador suggested ASEAN to startto implement the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) which contained various immediate and integrated efforts to mitigate theimpact of the pandemic on health and safety, while at the same time conductingeconomic recovery and maintaining supply chains and connectivity in the region.

Within the framework, Indonesia has proposed an ASEAN Declaration on ASEANTravel Corridor Arrangement Framework to facilitate essential business travelsamong its member states while prioritizing public health safety, particularlyin controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus without precluding theapplication of the framework to other categories of travel in the future. TheDeclaration has been adopted by ASEAN leaders at 37th Summit on November 13.Indonesia expects the Framework could be finalized in the first of next year soit can revive the regional economic interaction and then ASEAN citizens cantravel again.

Sarwono went on to say that Vietnam has done its utmost efforts to executethe role as ASEAN Chair 2020 amid the unprecedentedsituation.

He urged ASEAN to maintain its cohesiveness and unity in the midst ofglobal rivalry in the coming years. ASEAN also needs to maintain its centralityin all ASEAN led-mechanism, and must be firm in its principles including thoseoutlined in the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific, he added.

“We must be able to response in a unison to regional and global challenges.Together we are stronger, and I believe with the spirit of togetherness,cohesiveness, ASEAN can response and overcome any kind of challenge lie aheadof it in the future,” the diplomat stressed./.