(AseanAll) — Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono called for strengthening ASEAN's collective response to transnational crime threats in the region. This was conveyed during the 29th ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Council Meeting on May 25, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur.
In his statement, Sugiono appreciated the achievement of the APSC Blueprint 2025 implementation, which has reached 99.6%, but emphasized the importance of ASEAN's readiness in addressing the increasingly complex regional security challenges.
"In the future, we need to focus more on real threats like transnational crime." "This is not just a security issue but a serious threat to the process of forming the ASEAN community itself," emphasized Sugiono.
As an effort to combat transnational crime more effectively, Sugiono urged the strengthening of cooperation among law enforcement agencies in ASEAN countries, including through joint investigations, information sharing, mutual legal assistance, and the designation of national focal points to expedite communication and coordinated action. "ASEAN needs a strong, integrated, and victim-oriented collective response, as well as effective law enforcement," said Sugiono.
In addition to security issues, Sugiono emphasized the importance of integrating the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) into the APSC pillar. "AOIP must become a unifying framework and encourage various collaborations among pillars and sectors," stated Sugiono.
In this context, Sugiono encourages the implementation of the Concept Paper on AOIP from a Defence Perspective as agreed upon by ASEAN in 2023. The Foreign Minister encouraged other ASEAN sectoral bodies to follow this step so that AOIP can be fully mainstreamed in the APSC Strategic Plan towards the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
The APSC Council meeting is a high-level forum for ASEAN Political-Security Ministers that discusses the strategic direction of regional cooperation in the political and security pillars. At this meeting, the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Report and the APSC Strategic Plan were adopted.
