November 6, 2025 | 06:30 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia criticized President Prabowo Subianto's lack of participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. According to CSIS, Prabowo missed the opportunity to discuss strategic issues at the meeting, which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26-28, 2025.
CSIS International Relations Department Head Lina Alexandra said Prabowo should have been more serious about building relationships with Southeast Asian countries. "But he missed several very important meetings," Lina said during a discussion at the CSIS office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
These meetings included the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, which discussed the future of free trade between 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Lina said that Indonesia is currently proposing that the RCEP secretariat be located in Jakarta.
Furthermore, Lina highlighted Prabowo's departure from the summit in Kuala Lumpur early. "He left early and missed several very important meetings, including the summit with East Asian countries and the ASEAN-China meeting," she said.
Lina also expressed regret that President Prabowo did not bring important agenda items to the ASEAN Summit, particularly regarding various cooperation issues, such as the transnational crisis management system and the process of strengthening ASEAN institutions.
According to Lina, Prabowo's foreign policy stance so far appears to be seeking to diversify the number of countries with which Indonesia collaborates. This attitude is evident from Prabowo's diverse foreign visits and his policy of procuring defense equipment from various countries.
However, Lina stated that the desire to expand Indonesia's international network should not lead Prabowo to neglect ASEAN. "Expanding Indonesia's relations with different countries does not mean we should forget our existing relationships, namely traditional and essential ones," she said.
Prabowo had previously returned from the ASEAN Summit before the forum concluded. "There are several urgent matters that require his return," said Foreign Minister Sugiono in Kuala Lumpur in a video interview received by Tempo on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
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