Sugiono Pushes for Stronger ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Connectivity

RRI.CO.ID, New York – Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono has called for stronger connectivity between ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance to establish a more effective and sustainable partnership. Sugiono made the statement at the 9th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, United States on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

Sugiono said ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance, comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, are two regions that are becoming increasingly connected through markets, people, and various opportunities for cooperation.

“ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance need stronger connectivity. This should not only include physical connectivity, but also digital connectivity and people-to-people ties. The aim is to establish a more effective and sustainable partnership,” Sugiono said, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry received in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Sugiono said cooperation on smart cities is one opportunity to translate connectivity between the two regions into more concrete forms of cooperation. Indonesia sees potential to strengthen networks between major cities in ASEAN and key cities in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Colombia.

Such networks are expected to create opportunities for more practical cooperation that is relevant to urban challenges.

Sugiono emphasized that the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance partnership should ultimately deliver tangible benefits and create new opportunities for people in both regions.

The 9th ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was co-chaired by Thailand and Mexico. Cooperation between the two regions covers several sectors, including the economy, education and youth, the environment, and tourism.

As a concrete cooperation, ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance launched the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Online Learning Initiative on Tourism in 2025 to promote discussions on sustainable tourism.

The partnership between the 11 ASEAN countries and the four Pacific Alliance countries is expected to create opportunities to strengthen economic growth and people-to-people ties between the two regions.